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Southwest Frito Pie

Southwest Frito Pie is a family friendly dinner recipe that begins with meaty chili beans and Fritos, and is topped with your favorite toppings.

southwest frito pie serving in bowl with toppings

Everyone loves our Walking Tacos recipe. This recipe is similar. The Walking Tacos use chili beans to create more of a taco filling. This Southwest Frito Pie recipe calls for using pinto beans, plenty of ground beef and spices. I feel like it’s more like chili beans than filling for tacos. It’s a dinner that everyone in the family is likely to be happy with. You must try it!

ingredients displayed for making southwest frito pie

Ingredients needed:

  • ground beef
  • onion
  • chili powder
  • all purpose flour
  • salt
  • garlic powder
  • water
  • canned pinto beans
  • corn chips (like Fritos)
  • iceberg lettuce
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • chopped tomatoes
  • sour cream (optional)
  • chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

four photos sharing how to make chili beans in pot for frito pie

How to make Southwest Frito Pie:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

In a Dutch oven, cook the beef and onion over medium-heat until no longer pink; spoon out any accumulated fat and discard. Stir in the chili powder, flour, salt and garlic powder until blended; gradually stir in the water.
 
Add the beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

spoonful of chili beans over pot

And there you have it- a delicious beefy/bean chili. This will be the base for your Southwest Frito Pie!

frito pie served in a bowl

To serve, divide the chips among six serving bowls. Top with the beef mixture, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro, if desired.

bowl of serving of frito pie

The fun part about this recipe is the toppings. Start with the base of Fritos and chili beans, and let everyone add the toppings that they like best. I really love to add guacamole or avocado to mine. And it’s pretty delicious when you use pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar. Whatever your heart desires is okay for topping a Frito Pie. Enjoy!

spoon in bowl of frito pie

The Best Easy Dinner Recipes:

southwest frito pie serving in bowl with toppings

Southwest Frito Pie

RecipeBoy.com
A classic recipe, served in a bowl rather than a Frito bag!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 servings
Calories 873 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • In a Dutch oven, cook the beef and onion over medium-heat until no longer pink; spoon out any accumulated fat and discard. Stir in the chili powder, flour, salt and garlic powder until blended; gradually stir in the water.
  • Add the beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
  • To serve, divide the chips among six serving bowls. Top with the beef mixture, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 873kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 49gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 1086mgPotassium: 1104mgFiber: 11gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1777IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 368mgIron: 7mg
Keyword Fritos, pie, southwest
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