No, Iโm not sponsored by Frito-Lay this week. No matter how much it looks like it. (Pepsi! The choice of a new generation!)
I figured if I did Walking Tacos on Tuesday, I had to do Frito Pie on Thursday. Two meals served in chip bags in one week? My kids thought they were in heaven. And I took full advantage. โKids, do you want Frito pie? Great! Empty the dishwasher and sweep up the floor before dinner.โ
Frito Pie is a Southwestern standard, with both Texas and New Mexico claiming the dish - a base of Fritos topped with cheese.1 Walking Tacos came later on, as Southwestern food spread into the Midwest. The recipes are obviously related; if you make one, you can make the other. The only real difference is in the toppings. (And, of course, the bag of chips you use.)
Iโm probably breaking all sorts of Texas rules by using beans in my recipeโฆthatโs right, Iโm not from Texasโฆbut I have to try to slip something healthy in one of these recipes.
No pressure cooker? No worries. See the Notes section for stovetop instructions.
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Frito Pie
PrintPressure Cooker Frito Pie
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Description
Pressure Cooker Frito Pie recipe - cut open a bag of Fritos, add a scoop of chili, a handful of cheese, sprinkle with chopped onions, and dig in with a spoon. Heaven.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยผ cup chili powder blend
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 1 cup water (or substitute beer)
- 1 ยผ pounds 90% lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, undrained (or 4 cups homemade with bean liquid)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Muir Glen Fire Roasted with green chiles, or Ro*Tel)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Fritos
- Single serving bags of Fritos
Toppings
- Shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)
- Diced onions
- Hot sauce (I like El Yucateco Green Habanero, but use your favorite)
Instructions
- Saute the aromatics and toast the spices: Heat the vegetable oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions, garlic, and ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt. Saute until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, then make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Toast until you smell the spices, about 1 minute, then stir them into the onions.
- Simmer the beef until no longer pink, stir in the beans, top with the tomatoes: Pour in 1 cup of water, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck onions or spices. Add the beef, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring and breaking up the beef, ย until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans. Pour the tomatoes with green chiles on top of the beef mixture, but donโt stir - the tomatoes may burn if they sink to the bottom of the pot.
- Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and bring the cooker up to high pressure. (Read your fine pressure cooker manual for how to do this). Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an electric PC, 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. Unlock the lid, stir, break up any large clumps of meat, and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in the Fritos bags: For each serving: Cut open a Frito bag lengthwise (not across the top). Spoon a ladleย or two of chili into the bag, then top with the shredded cheese, diced onions, and (optional) the hot sauce. Grab a spoon, and eat straight out of the bag.
Notes
- No pressure cooker? No worries. Cook the chili in a large pot or dutch oven. Increase the water in the recipe to 2 cups. Follow the recipe up to step 3, then instead of pressure cooking, simmer the meat on the stovetop until everything thickens up, about 1 hour. Continue with the serving step.
- I donโt usually make a dedicated batch of chili for this recipe. I use leftover chili for this, out of the freezer.
- If you donโt want to mess with individual serving bags, get a big bag of Fritos and serve in bowls. Start with a base of Fritos and build from there. It wonโt look as impressive, but it tastes just as good.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- Flat edged wooden spoon
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
|
|
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili with Pinto Beans
Pressure Cooker Walking Tacos
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
*Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner using the RSS or Email options on the right, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site, or donate through my tip jar. Thank you.
- Turns out, maybe neither created it? Robb Walsh, my go-to historian for all things Texas, has all the details here: The Complicated History of Frito Pieโฉ
Lauren
Love this easy recipe. Thanks!
Mike Vrobel
Youโre welcome!
stephanie
chili powder blend 1/4 CUP? that seems like a lot is that correct?
Mike Vrobel
Yes, 1/4 cup is correct. It needs the spice. I donโt want wimpy chili in my frito pie!
stephanie
Thanks Mike! do you make that mix or do you buy it remade like just plain chili powder? I don't use a lot of spices .. so I am unfamiliar!!
Ellen Godfrey
This is officially one of the best days ever. I love, Love, LOVE frito pie and haven't had a good one since (sadly) college. Okay, I'm nostalgic like that. But I wanted to thank you for the recipe, it's what for dinner tonight. I'm so excited. Keep up the great work, I love what your doing.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner
Probably not - it has a slight inward curve, to match the heating element in the Instant Pot. But it also has a "Saute" mode for browning, which I use to brown meat right in the instant-pot unit.
Chris Lukowski
Is the insert on the Instant Pot PC stovetop safe like the aluminum insert in your All-Clad slow cooker?