This Slow Cooker Frito Casserole features a delicious homemade chili that slow cooks to perfection before getting topped with crunchy Frito corn chips and gooey cheese. Served with all your favorite toppings, this casserole is comfort food at its finest!
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Crockpot Chili Frito Pie Casserole
If you’re a fan of both homemade chili and comforting casseroles, then this delicious taco casserole recipe is sure to become a new favorite with your whole family. It has all the same rich and robust flavors of the American classic, Frito Chili Pie, but in the form of an easy, hearty and absolutely amazing crockpot casserole.
This easy recipe, also sometimes called walking tacos, is perfect for weeknight dinners, potlucks, or game day parties. Packed with seasoned ground beef, gooey cheese, and your favorite corn chips, every bite is a complete fiesta of flavor. And the best part? You just brown the ground beef and then let the slow cooker do the rest of the work for you. Easy peasy!
If you’re a huge fan of Tex-Mex flavors, you should also check out this recipe for Beef Enchiladas, and this tasty Taco Bake.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Serves a crowd – Whether it’s for a family dinner or a get-together with friends, Frito casserole is a hearty dish that can feed a crowd.
- Family-friendly – This easy Frito pie recipe is one of those comfort meals the entire family will love, even your pickiest eaters will be asking for seconds.
- Simple ingredients – Though the list may seem long, this delicious dish is made with basic ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand.
Ingredients
- Lean ground beef
- Diced onion
- Diced green bell pepper
- Diced red bell pepper
- Chili seasoning (store-bought packet)
- Minced garlic cloves
- Canned diced green chiles
- Chili beans (undrained)
- Black beans (rinsed and drained)
- Tomato sauce
- Cornstarch
- Sugar
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Fritos chips
- Favorite taco toppings like scallions, sour cream, green onions etc.
How to Make Crockpot Frito Casserole
For easy clean up, line your crockpot with a liner.
Step One: Brown the Beef
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown and drain your ground beef.
Step Two: Add Ingredients to the Slow Cooker
- To your slow cooker add the ground beef, onion, bell peppers, chili seasoning, garlic, green chilies, the two cans of beans, tomato sauce, cornstarch and sugar.
- Stir to combine.
Step Three: Cook the Chili
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Step Four: Add the Fritos and Cheese
- Add half the bag of Fritos to the chili mixture.
- Top the chips with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover and cook just until the cheese melts.
Step Five: Garnish, Serve and Enjoy
- To serve, add some of the remaining crunchy Fritos on your plates and spoon the frito pie on top.
- Garnish your Frito chili pie with your favorite toppings and serve!!
Crockpot Frito Pie Recipe Variations and Add-ins
- Meat – We used ground beef, but you can use ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer.
- Beans – For extra texture, we used two different types of beans. But feel free to use your favorite beans, like dark or light kidney beans or pinto beans.
- Cheese options – Cheddar is a classic choice for this recipe, but you can use any type of melty cheese. Colby jack and Mexican cheese blend are great choices.
- Seasoning – You can use taco seasoning instead of chili seasoning if you’d like. You can also use homemade Taco seasoning if you have a recipe you like to make.
- Chips – Swap out the corn chips for Doritos or any type of tortilla chips.
Can I Freeze Leftovers?
You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Wait to add the extra Fritos and the garnishes until right after it has been reheated.
Can I Make this Recipe in a Casserole Dish
This slow cooker recipe is more of a hands-off recipe, but you can certainly bake it instead. In fact, this Frito Pie Casserole recipe is very similar and can be baked right in the oven.
Can I Make This Recipe Without the Beans?
Not a fan of beans? No worries, just leave them out. I would suggest doubling the meat, adding a can of whole kernel corn, and adding in additional veggies to give the casserole the volume it needs.
More Easy Casserole Recipes
- Hamburger Casserole
- Grits Casserole
- Pizza Casserole
- Cheeseburger Casserole
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Leftover Turkey Casserole
- Tater Tot Casserole
Slow Cooker Frito Casserole
Equipment
- Crockpot
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 ounce chili seasoning 1 packet
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces diced green chiles 1 can
- 15 ounces chili beans 1 can, undrained
- 15 ounces black beans 1 can, rinsed and drained
- 29 ounces tomato sauce 1 can
- ½ Tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ Tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 9.25 ounces corn chips
Instructions
- In a medium skillet over medium high heat, brown and drain your ground beef.
- To your slow cooker add the ground beef, onion, bell peppers, chili seasoning, garlic, green chilies, chili beans, black beans, tomato sauce, cornstarch and sugar.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- 5 minutes before serving stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Top with half the bag of corn chips.
- Top the chips with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Cover just until the cheese melts.
- Place the remaining chips on your plates and spoon the frito pie on top.
- Top with your favorite toppings and serve.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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