Does anybody else out there love Mexican food like we do? There’s something so satisfying about a big plate full of cheese, beans, meat and tortillas in some shape or form. To be more accurate, the American versions of Mexican food are typically what many Americans think of as Mexican food (kind of like how American Chinese food is not true Chinese food). Regardless, these dishes are immensely popular throughout the country—and we’ve got a great one for you to try today.
Have you ever heard of a walking taco? If not, it’s a quick and easy meal where you can scoop some pre-made hot taco mix into a little bag of Fritos and eat it out with a fork instead of in a tortilla. Although this recipe is delicious, it has a bit of a street food feel to it and doesn’t always work as a dinner dish—until now. That’s because this recipe for a Frito skillet chili transforms the walking taco into a kind of multilayered dip that evokes nachos, chili and Tex-Mex all at the same time. So what are we waiting for?
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 package of chili seasoning
- 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 1 14-ounce can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 3 cups of corn chips
- 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cups of chopped green onions
Here’s what you do:
1. To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In the meantime, get a large skillet going over medium-high heat and add in your ground beef. Let it brown until everything is cooked all the way through and drain out your excess fat. When that’s set, pour in your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and chili seasoning and stir everything to combine.
2. Once it’s well-incorporated, pour in your kidney beans and stir it up once more. Cover the skillet, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Check it after that time is up to make sure the chili has thickened.
3. Next, get a deeper cast iron skillet and later the bottom with plenty of Fritos corn chips. Scoop your hot chili on top of those chips and then sprinkle it with half of your chopped green onions.
4. After that, top the entire thing with your shredded cheese mix and pop it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. When it’s done, the cheese should be melted and the chili beneath it should be bubbling hot. Garnish the top with the rest of your chopped green onions and serve while it’s hot!
As you can see, this recipe has all the familiar ingredients of most of your favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes—the only difference is the way it’s being presented. Still, the mixture of the melted down Fritos with the cheesy, beefy bean dip on top of it is truly delicious. This is a recipe the family is sure to love, though it also works perfectly as a fancy dip to serve at a backyard party. For what it’s worth, it may also be worthwhile to keep some fresh Fritos out to serve it with; the ones on the bottom of the pan are bound to lose some of their crunch in the cooking process. Anyway, enjoy the recipe and let us know what you think!
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