Southwest Frito Pie
I got a real culture shock when we moved to New Mexico several years ago, but we grew to love the food. Now, back in South Carolina, we still crave New Mexican dishes, and this is one of my go-to favorites.—Janet Scoggins, North Augusta, South Carolina
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained, optional
- 4-1/2 cups Fritos corn chips
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- 6 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- Sour cream and minced fresh cilantro, optional
Reviews
This was a good basic recipe. It didn't have any zip for us, so I needed to add a lot more spice. I also halved this recipe and added some guacamole.
I halved the recipe for the two of us and put out some spicy salsas. I thought the dish was perfect but for those who prefer more spice, feel free to add jalapenos, cayenne pepper, or your favorite spicy condiments. In other words you control the heat in this dish. We will be having this again. Volunteer Field Editor
My husband and I loved this dish! I made a couple of changes.... instead of using chili powder, flour, salt and garlic powder, I used 2 envelopes of taco seasoning mix with 1 3/4 pounds of ground beef , 1 1/2 cups of water and pinto beans (undrained). This is my new "go to" taco salad ...... much tastier than my old standard! 5 stars for sure!
My family has loved this recipe for years and I always serve it to guests and they always rave about it and ask for the recipe! Good job!
I am a New Mexico native.....this recipe is incredible! A nice taste of home.
I read all the reviews about its blandness and, though I hate when people tweak a recipe and talk endlessly about it in their review, I thought it was warranted. I made sure to cook the onion in with the ground beef, as well as two crushed garlic cloves. I replaced one cup of the water with beef broth and added a bit of taco seasoning to the meat mixture before I cooked off the liquid. (Decreased the chili powder, so it was a trade-off.) That was the ticket--not bland in the slightest. :)
I made this tonight. Very good! I made mine with the pinto beans (I had a 30 oz can that I used). I let the recipe simmer most of the liquid off of it before serving. It was a make again for us!
My family loves mexican food..but I was alittle disappointed in the taste of this recipe. I added more chili and garlic powder but still it was missing something.
Fantastically satisfying!
I really wanted to like this recipe. The chili powder was overpowering & bland. Perhaps it could be made better with a sauce. It was quite dry on top of being blah.