Slow Cooker Frito Pie
This Frito Pie is a slow cooker twist on a classic.
This Slow Cooker Frito Pie is always a family favorite! Rich, delicious but easy chili slow cooks to perfection before getting topped with crunchy corn chips, cheese and all your favorite toppings! Serve on top of more corn chips for a spectacular dinner even your pickiest eater will love!
I love delicious and easy dinners that I can just throw in the slow cooker and I know that everyone will love and this Frito Pie is one of our favorites.
I love that I can just throw everything in the slow cooker and have a delicious, flavorful dinner that everyone really enjoys. Whenever I find a dinner that everyone in my house eats that is amazing because I have some picky eaters! And for it to be in the slow cooker? That’s a double win!
This starts with an easy flavorful chili that slow cooks all day, then you stir in some cheese, top it with crunchy corn chips, more cheese and your favorite toppings.
I love that you can customize this to your family’s taste, make it spicier, add your favorite beans, add your favorite seasonings, you can totally make this recipe your own.
Can we also take a minute to talk about how budget-friendly this dinner is? Everyone is feeling the pinch with the grocery bill right now and you can’t get much cheaper than ground beef and a few other ingredients. So this is a fabulous dinner when you are trying to save a few pennies.
Next time you want a family-friendly dinner even the pickiest kids will love throw these ingredients together and let the slow cooker take care of the rest!
I promise your whole family will love these Slow Cooker Frito Pie.
You will want to make this dinner again and again! We do!
You will love this recipe because it is
- Easy and fast.
- Family-friendly.
- Budget-friendly.
- Full of flavor.
- A set it-and forget-it meal.
- Perfect for weeknights.
- Picky eater approved.
My favorite slow cooker for this recipe is this Hamilton Beach one.
Can I freeze this?
You can freeze this before adding the corn chips if you like. You can also freeze the chili ingredients before adding them to the slow cooker that way whenever you need a super quick meal you can just toss everything into the slow cooker and go.
Can I use any protein?
Yes, you can use any ground meat you like, beef, chicken, turkey, pork. You could even use diced up chicken tenderloins.
What should I serve this with?
This is a great dish on it’s own but it is really good with a salad or some cornbread on the side. I actually like to serve it with this Classic Corn Casserole.
Can I make this spicier?
You can add red pepper flakes or sriracha, add fresh or canned jalapenos to the chili while cooking or top with jalapeno slices before serving to give this a kick.
Ingredients used
- Lean ground beef – I like to use lean ground beef in this recipe but you can also use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Onion – Sweet onions are my favorite for this recipe.
- Green bell pepper – This gives the dish a great flavor.
- Red bell pepper – You can save time and use frozen peppers and onions.
- Chili seasoning – Use your favorite brand or your favorite mix of chili spices.
- Garlic – Fresh or jarred is fine.
- Diced green chiles – These give this dish so much flavor!
- Chili beans – These are beans that are packed in a chili sauce, do not drain these when adding them to the chili.
- Black beans – Feel free to substitute your favorite bean, kidney beans would be great!
- Tomato sauce – To create the base of this dish.
- Cornstarch – Just a little helps thicken the chili up some.
- Sugar – Cuts the acidity from the tomatoes and gives the chili a richer flavor.
- Cheddar cheese – For stirring into the chili and topping the chips. I like to use a sharp cheddar but use your favorite.
- Corn chips – The star of the show! I use plain corn chips but it would be amazing with chili cheese flavor too!
- Toppings – Anything you like to top your chili with will work great here!
How to make this Frito Pie
- FULL RECIPE BELOW
- 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, serve!!
Want more Easy Family Friendly Dinners? Check these out!
- Copycat Taco Bell Nacho Supreme Fries
- Chili Pie Boats
- Classic Spoonburgers
- Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches
- Easy 3 Ingredient Chili
Slow Cooker Frito Pie
This Slow Cooker Frito Pie is always a family favorite! Rich, delicious but easy chili slow cooks to perfection before getting topped with crunchy corn chips, cheese and all your favorite toppings! Serve on top of more corn chips for a spectacular dinner even your pickiest eater will love!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 (1 ounce) envelope chili seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (4 ounce) can of diced green chiles
- 1 (15-16 ounce) can of chili beans, undrained
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (29 ounce) can of tomato sauce
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 (9.25 ounce) bag of corn chips
- Toppings like scallions, sour cream, etc
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, serve!!
Notes
- You can add your favorite chili seasonings!
- You can spice this up by adding diced jalapenos to the slow cooker.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze this without the corn chips in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Top this with your favorite chili or taco toppings.
