Try this Frito Chili Pie recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1/2 c. warm water
- 1 and 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 can (10 oz.) ro-tel undrained
- 1 tsp. ground oregano
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1-2 t. chili powder (more or less to taste)
- 1 t. chipotle tabasco sauce
- 1 (14 oz.) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14 oz.) can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1/4 c. corn meal
- 1 bag of fritos
- grated sharp cheddar cheese sour cream, lettuce, or any other desired toppings
- Carbohydrate 22.2651033320262 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.51478666645871 g
- Fiber 3.34883321802407 g
- Protein 3.19084999977683 g
- Saturated Fat 0.265766666612699 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (163g)
- Sodium 6.02466666636234 mg
- Sugar 18.9162701140021 g
- Trans Fat 0.178506666632379 g
- Calories 115 calories
Step-by-step
- Brown ground beef in a pot over medium-high heat.
- Drain ground beef, and add garlic to ground beef. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- To make in the crockpot, add browned ground beef to 5 qt or larger crockpot with tomato sauce, Rotel, salt, oregano, cumin, chili powder, Tabasco, and beans. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours before serving stir.
- To make on the stovetop, add tomato sauce, Rotel, salt, oregano, cumin, chili powder, Tabasco, and beans to the browned ground beef. Stir to combine.
- Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.
- Mix corn meal with water, and then add to the chili. Stir to combine and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
- I like to top my chili with the Fritos so that they stay crunchy, but you can top Fritos with chili. Add any other desired toppings, and enjoy!
Balancing equipment constraints means choosing between the gentle, unattended simmer of a slow cooker and the speed of a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Lean ground beef requires thorough browning over medium-high heat to render out excess fat before it enters a five-quart slow cooker, or the sauce will separate into an oily film during its six to eight hours on low heat. Corn meal acts as a crucial thickening agent here, but raw starch requires direct heat to swell properly. Whisking the corn meal with half a cup of warm water prevents clumping, and simmering that slurry for ten to fifteen minutes gelatinizes the starches, transforming a thin tomato broth into a clingy, cohesive chili. Texture governs the entire eating experience of this dish. Corn chips contain high surface oil and fragile structural integrity; submerging them too early in hot chili dissolves their crunch entirely. Layering the chips beneath the hot mixture creates a softened bottom layer while keeping the top exposed to maintain contrast, whereas placing whole chips directly on top preserves maximum crispness until the final moment of consumption. When doubling the bean and beef proportions for large gatherings, increase the cumin and chili powder incrementally rather than doubling them outright, as ground spices intensify significantly over extended slow-cooker cycles.
