Cheesy, crunchy Easy Frito Pie Casserole Recipe is easy to make and a terrific weeknight meal! Stuffed with ground beef, a handful of simple ingredients. It's a delicious dish topped with a cheesy crunchy crust. It's fabulous!
Next time try ground beef noodle casserole it's one of my favorite easy dinner recipes!
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Why you'll love this recipe
This great recipe is made with basic ingredients and it's SO YUMMY! Because it only takes 30 minutes to make this is a great weeknight meal your whole family will love!
Add all your favorite taco toppings for a complete meal!
Even the kids are big fan of a Fritos Casserole, I hope you enjoy it as well!
Ingredients
For the exact measures for the Frito Taco Pie refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- ground beef, ground chuck, ground chicken or ground turkey.
- yellow onion or white onion.
- taco seasoning mix - fajita seasoning would works as well!
- salsa - substitute with Rotel or enchilada sauce, tomato sauce mixed with green chilis would even work!
- kidney beans - black beans, chill beans, pinto beans or ranch style beans - you could even substitute ranch style beans - delicious!
- cream style corn - I like the sauciness of cream style, but you could also used canned or frozen corn
- Frito chips, a bag of chips like Doritos or tostada would be good as well.
- shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese would also be tasty!
- favorite toppings; green onion, cilantro, sliced black olives, tomato and a dollop of sour cream.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions for the Texas Frito Pie. For the complete directions for this delicious comfort food recipe just scroll down to the bottom!
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9x13-inch glass baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet. Cook beef with the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the beef is fully browned. Drain off the excess fat if desired.
- Add the taco seasoning mix and cream style corn stir to combine. Add the salsa, corn and beans; stir well; bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
- Pour half Fritos chips into the bottom of a casserole dish and sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Evenly spread the beef mixture over the bottom layer of Fritos and cheese. Add the rest of the corn chips then top with the remaining cheese.
- Cover the casserole and bake the casserole at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with garnishes; cilantro, sliced onions and tomatoes, serve with a dollup of sour cream and salsa.
Isn't this meal fun? It's an easy recipe, perfect for a weeknight meal or a Saturday night sleepover. The kids will love it!
Equipment
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- 9x13-inch baking dish - this one has great handles, making it easy to handle when hot.
- wood spoons for cooking - this set is great as it includes a spoon, scraper and slotted spoon.
- 12" cast iron skillet - I have several and use them all the time!
FAQ's
It's not really a pie, it's more like a Doritos casserole except with Frito corn chips!
Well the sky is the limit! Think of your Frito pie like a taco - top it with diced tomatoes, sliced onions, cilantro, olives, guacamole or avocado (yum!), salsa or sour cream. Really anything you love on a taco, goes great on top of this casserole.
It's a popular casserole dish, especially in the midwest and southern portions of the United States. Because this dish is normally served with Fritos corn chips, it's called a Frito Pie!
Well they are kinda sorta the same thing the difference is a walking taco is served in individual chip bags. Just crunch up the chips and spoon the casserole on top and serve with a spoon. Kids love this dish!
Video
Click on the image to watch this fun video and see me make this recipe from start to finish with extra tips! (Video opens in a new tab).
Tips
- Cover the casserole for baking and when time is up, heat it under the broiler for 2-4 minutes for a golden crust.
- No casserole dish handy? Make the entire meal in your cast iron skillet. Skip the chips and cheese on the bottom and instead sprinkle them on top and bake as directed. Serve the remaining chips alongside your meal.
Variations
- Love the dish but not all the sodium? Omit the chips on the bottom. Personally, I love the way the chips and cheese combine to almost make a crust on the bottom, but it totally works with just the chips on top.
- No Frito corn chips? - use any crunchy corn chips, like Doritos! Super yummy as well!
- Green chilies would add wonderful flavor to this dish.
- Turn this dish into walking tacos by serving it small bag of Fritos - the kids love this meal!
- Lighten it up by substituting ground chicken or ground turkey for the beef.
- Make it vegetarian by omitting the meat entirely and just use three cans of beans. Just be sure to rinse and drain them well.
- Serve with fresh tomatoes, diced onions and sliced jalapeños.
No meat in the freezer - substitute the ground beef and kidney beans with a couple cans of your favorite chili con carne. Add the remaining ingredients the recipe calls for and wa-la...Frito Chili Pie!
Storage
Refrigerator: Allow the meal to completely cool. Cover with aluminum foil or place in an airtight container and refrigerate up to four days.
Freezer: The Frito Pie Casserole freezes really well! Again you'll need to allow it to cool completely and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. It will freeze up to three months. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed. For best results, add the chips and cheese on top just prior to baking.
Reheating: For best results reheat in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Individual servings can be reheated in the microwave.
SERVE GREAT MEALS EVERY TIME! 👇
Serving suggestions
I've somehow justified this easy Frito Pie recipe as a complete meal as is 😋 BUT if you want to round it out, it would be delicious served with a loaf of French bread and fresh garden salad.
Serve with plenty of toppers on the side: sour cream, hot sauce, pico de gallo, olives and salsa!
Finishing the meal with this old fashioned blueberry cobbler, mmmm! Now that would be one delicious meal!
This is one of our favorite casserole dishes - it's really a perfect meal for busy weeknights!
If you love this meal, be sure and try my Homemade Chili Recipe - it is delicious!
Related Recipes
Looking for another easy dish? Here are a few of my favorites that are super popular on the blog!
- Love tater tots? Then you'll definitely want to try Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole. Beefy and flavorful it's easy to make and a real family favorite!
- Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole - tender chicken in a creamy sauce with a crispy, crunchy topping - YUM!
- Taco Salad Casserole Recipe is a real family favorite - it's your favorite taco in casserole form!
- Ditch all the fussy prep and make this instead! Super yummy bell pepper casserole is so flavorful and just the BEST hot dish!
- Another dish you'll enjoy is the King Ranch Chicken Casserole - it's cheesy and meaty, really a great meal!
- Crockpot Chicken and Gravy - another easy to make casserole that will quickly become a family favorite!
Frito Pie Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion medium onion, peeled and diced
- 1 package taco seasoning mix
- 1 cup salsa
- 15 ounce kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce cream style corn
- 9 oz. bag Fritos corn chips divided
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided
- top with your favorite taco toppings: green onion, cilantro, sliced black olives, tomato and a dollop of sour cream. optional
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9x13-inch glass baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, cook ground beef until fully browned. Drain off the excess fat if desired.
- Add the taco seasoning mix and cream style corn stir to combine. Add the salsa, corn and beans; stir well; bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
- Pour half Fritos into the bottom of the large baking dish and sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Evenly spread the meat mixture over the chips. Add the rest of the corn chips then add the remaining cheese on top of the Frito corn chips.
- Cover the casserole and bake the casserole at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with garnishes; cilantro, sliced onions and tomatoes, serve with a dollup of sour cream and salsa.
Jerry Travis
could this be made in a crockpot?
Bowl Me Over
That's a great question Jerry! Yes, you can make this in the slow cooker. Brown the ground beef, drain and pour into the crockpot. Add the onion, taco seasoning, salsa, kidney beans, cream style corn and give it a mix. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in one cup of cheese. Top with chips and the remaining cheese. Add the lid and cook until the cheese is melted. Enjoy - we love this dish!
Bonnie
Do the corn chips get Mushy?
Bowl Me Over
Not in my opinion. The chips on the bottom form a crust almost like a tamale pie, the chips on the top turn into a cheesy layer.
Lauren
Do you use the directions for the taco mix (add water) or do you just do the dry mix with no water.
Bowl Me Over
Hey Lauren - great question, there's no need to add the water. Just add in the dry mix. Enjoy. the casserole!
angela
This looks so yummy! could it be made with leftover chicken instead of ground beef?
Bowl Me Over
You bet, that would be delicious - enjoy the casserole!