You’ll love this Easy Frito Pie Recipe for a family-friendly dinner in a snap! Hearty ground beef with onions, taco seasoning, and enchilada sauce is layered over Fritos, covered with shredded cheese, and baked until bubbly.
Best Frito Pie (aka Walking Taco Bake)
Whenever I make any kind of Tex-Mex recipe for dinner, I know my family is going to devour it. You really can’t go wrong with melted cheese, spicy sauces, and dollops of sour cream, right? Well, this recipe for Easy Frito Pie casserole has all of that, and more. Ground beef is cooked with tender canned pinto beans, taco seasoning, fresh onion, and rich red enchilada sauce. It’s the easiest, and tastiest, “chili” recipe ever!
From there, this simple casserole dish is just a matter of layering in cheese and Fritos, and then baking everything until it’s hot and bubbly. This super easy recipe is going to be one of your new favorite weeknight dinner recipes, I promise! It’s so quick and easy to make. To serve, all you have do is pile on all of your favorite toppings, and dinner is done!
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Easy Frito Pie Recipe (the exact measurements and full recipe instructions are below in the printable recipe card):
- Ground Beef: You could also use ground turkey if you prefer, or even ground chicken! Leaner ground meats make the casserole less greasy.
- Onion: Dice up some onion; any kind (red, white, sweet, yellow) will do.
- Taco Seasoning Mix: You can use any taco seasoning packet that you like, or make your own taco seasoning blend and use 2-3 tablespoons, or to taste.
- Water: A little water helps create the right consistency.
- Enchilada Sauce: Try our Homemade Enchilada Sauce or use canned.
- Pinto Beans: Use plain pinto beans, or substitute saucy “ranch style” beans. You basically can’t go wrong here!
- Fritos: Classic Fritos corn chips give this casserole body and crunch.
- Shredded Cheese: My favorite cheese for Frito Pie is Mexican blend, but shredded cheddar or Colby cheese would also be great.
- Green Onion: A little bit of chopped green onion goes a long way.
- Sour Cream and Guacamole: These two classic toppings add freshness and creaminess to the dish.
How to Make Frito Pie
Assembling this casserole dish is so simple! First, you’ll need to quickly make the ground beef “chili” mixture, and from there, it’s just about layering and baking. The baked casserole is topped with extra Fritos and served with sour cream, green onion, and guacamole.
- Prep the Oven and Baking Dish. To start, preheat your oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9×13-inch glass baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray, and set it aside while you cook the beef.
- Make the Beef Mixture. Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet, add the onions, and cook both together over medium heat until the beef is fully browned. Stir often to cook the beef evenly and prevent sticking. Drain off the excess fat, and then stir in the taco seasoning mix and water. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Finally, add the enchilada sauce and beans.
- Assemble the Casserole. Line the bottom of the baking dish with about 4 cups of the Fritos. Sprinkle a cup of the cheese over the Fritos. Next, evenly spread all of the meat mixture over the chips and cheese. Finally, top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake, Cool, and Top. Bake the assembled casserole at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Take it out of the oven, and allow it to cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining Fritos.
- Enjoy! Serve the Frito Pie with chopped green onions, sour cream, and guacamole.
Variations
Here are a few of our favorite substitutions and variations:
Chili Seasoning: Substitute chili seasoning for the taco seasoning, for a subtle twist.
No Onions: For those who don’t prefer onions, simply leave them out when making this recipe.
Beans: You can use black beans in this recipe instead of pinto beans, or just omit the beans if you don’t like them!
Veggies: Stir just about any finely chopped veggies into the meat mixture for a little extra nutrition: spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, whatever you like!
Vegetarian: Make a vegetarian Frito Pie by substituting tofu or other meatless crumbles for the beef, or simply by using a vegetable alternative like hashbrown potatoes or chopped cauliflower florets.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To refrigerate, keep the leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- To reheat, place leftovers in an oven-safe dish and bake at 350ºF until heated through. (Do be aware that the Fritos will become soft, so you may want to add more when reheating the leftovers to get that crunch).
Can I Freeze Frito Pie?
I don’t recommend freezing the baked casserole, or even the unbaked assembled casserole, because the Fritos are likely to get so soft and mushy that the casserole is just not as good. However, you can make the beef mixture up to 3 months in advance, and freeze that! Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, and assemble the next day to bake a fresh Frito pie with ease.
Easy Frito Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion peeled and diced
- 1 ounce taco seasoning (1 pouch or homemade)
- 2/3 cup water
- 10 ounces enchilada sauce (1 can)
- 15 ounces pinto beans (1 can) drained and rinsed
- 1 (9.25 ounce) bag Fritos corn chips divided
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese divided
- 1 green onion chopped
- sour cream and/or guacamole for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9×13-inch glass baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.
- Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet. Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the beef is fully browned. Drain off the excess fat. Stir in the seasoning mix and water; bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the enchilada sauce and beans; stir well.
- Pour 4 cups of the Fritos into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Evenly spread the meat mixture over the chips. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake the casserole at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining Fritos.
- Cool slightly before serving. Serve with chopped green onions, sour cream, and guacamole.
Last Step:
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Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
Other Toppings Ideas
- Salsa verde or Red Salsa
- Avocado Crema
- Pico De Gallo
- Chopped Lettuce
- Chopped Avocado
- Sliced Black Olives
- Hot Sauce
Side Dishes
When it comes to serving this easy Frito Pie, I like to go with simple sides and a bounty of fresh, colorful toppings. These are all easy options that go perfectly with this fun Tex-Mex dish.
- Broccoli Salad: Creamy, crunchy Broccoli Salad is a wonderful contrast to the hearty, meat-and-cheese layers of Frito pie.
- Coleslaw: This tangy Cilantro Lime Coleslaw is a delicious accompaniment to any spicy dish.
- Corn: Sweet, buttery corn is always a hit, especially this amazing Honey Butter Skillet Corn! It’s a bright, flavorful side dish that’s sure to bring a smile.
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47 comments on “Frito Pie Recipe”
Delicious! I always double 1lb recipes and did with this as well. I didn’t have an onion, so I used a ton of dry minced onion instead. I always season my hamburger as it’s cooking, and added salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder after mixing in enchilada sauce and beans. We used Fritos scoops which held up well through the baking process.
Thanks Nichole!
My kids loved this casserole. We found that adding the Fritos too early resulted in a gooey mess – Instead, we added some Fritos to the top of the casserole and saved the remainder to add as a side dish or condiment. there is an excellent list of toppings, above. I would add diced white onions, either raw or sauteed.
Thank you John!
Texan here,we love it,with Home chilie
Yay! Thanks Mimi!
I subbed in Gardein Be’f and Violife cheese to make this vegan, and it was still delicious! Definitely a keeper.
Thank you SJ!
I wanted to put this all together in a casserole dish and have it ready to just throw in the oven all assembled to bake tomorrow. Will the Fritos get soggy ?
Hi Rhonda. I would recommend prepping everything beforehand, keeping the beef mixture separate and then assembling in the baking dish tomorrow to ensure the Fritos don’t get too soggy.
How would you make this for just 2? Have made the large version but want to make it for my friend just he and I. Any suggestions?
Hi Tammy. I would suggest halving the recipe and making in an 8×8.
Was easy to make. Was afraid it was going to be salty because of the Fritos but it really wasn’t. My husband loved it. It tastes great with guacamole.
Thank you Tammey!
Quick and easy and very tasty!
Thanks Kaye!
I made this to recipe. It was soooo yummy!!! I hate to cook but this dish comes together quickly.
What size can of enchilada sauce is used for this recipe
Hi Tammy. You’ll use the 10 ounce can.
This was so delicious and super easy to make. I will definitely be making this again.
Thank you Erika!