# Frito pie **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 8, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204 "2003-09-08T02:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/21 "2003-09-08T15:37:15Z")
This is something I’ve seen at county fairs. They open one of those snack-pack-size Fritos, pour in the chili and cheese, and voila! Something to sell for muchos dineros! ---
**Author:** ![Zenham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a5b964/32.png) [@Zenham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenham)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/22 "2003-09-08T15:53:18Z")
I’m not too certain, but all I can say is… onions, cheese, AND canned chili? I hope you’re in a well-ventilated place, afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/23 "2003-09-08T16:33:35Z")
Can’t believe you’d want to put canned chili on that puppy. The difference between homemade and canned chili is, like the difference between an oral and rectal thermometer, the taste. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/24 "2003-09-08T16:48:54Z")
I never knew Frito Pie was real. I remember Peggy Hill of _King of the Hill_ mentioning it a few times and I thought it was a joke. You can imagine my horror when I opened this thread… ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/25 "2003-09-08T17:02:35Z")
_Horror?_ You should feel blessed for being introduced to the bestest comfort food ever. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/26 "2003-09-08T17:37:51Z")
How do you eat it? I’m envisioning either utensils or a whole lot of napkins. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/27 "2003-09-08T19:25:46Z")
You eat it with a fork. The fritos kinda scoop up on it. I like them semi soggy. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/28 "2003-09-08T19:39:37Z")
Mom always made Frito Pie like this: Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1 large onion, chopped 1 can pinto beans 4 oz. sour cream cheddar cheese, shredded Fritos 1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Brown the ground beef and onion together. 3. Layer a casserole dish with half the beef/onion mixture, half a can of pinto beans, spread the sour cream on top of the beans with a spatula, then cover with a layer of cheese (to taste) and a layer of fritos. Repeat the layers once. El Hubbo and I have varied it by seasoning the beef/onion mixture with a taco seasoning packet and we also serve with salsa or picante sauce. :::drooool::: ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/29 "2003-09-08T19:49:15Z")
Where do you get Wolf Brand? The only canned chili we have around here is Vietti, and it makes a poor FCP. Plus it smells like armpits. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/30 "2003-09-08T19:49:29Z")
Ooops, forgot cooking time. 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Heh. The cool thing about this recipe is that you get a good mixture of mooshy fritos to crispy ones. The between layer is mooshy and the top layer is crispy. Needless to say, this ain’t no Weight Watchers recipe. In fact, I’m curious. Hmmm. With lean ground beef, light sour cream, 4 oz. low-fat cheddar and 8 oz of Fritos (half a bag) it’s 9 points per serving. Wonder if it tastes nearly the same as the high-fat version. ---
**Author:** ![ThatDuckIsEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@ThatDuckIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatDuckIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/31 "2003-09-08T19:53:45Z")
My mom always just browned ground beef using a taco seasoning packet. Then we’d lay our Fritos in a bowl, slap the seasoned meat on, throw on our fixins, beans & cheese. I always liked to put one lonely Frito on top of my pile. We also liked to used Chili flavored Fritos, or BBQ flavored Fritos. I havent had this in ages, I think I’ll make a trip to the grocery this evening… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/32 "2003-09-08T20:42:16Z")
For those heathens who have never had the real thing, check out: [http://www.wolfbrandchili.com](http://www.wolfbrandchili.com) mmmmmmmmmmm…chili. ---
**Author:** ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/33 "2003-09-08T21:11:09Z")
Best Frito Pie I ever had was at the Five & Dime in the Plaza in Santa Fe. They’ve served them the same way from the first one I had in 1983 to the one I had just 2 months ago. Just perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_s_Fool)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/34 "2003-09-08T22:50:04Z")
I like my Fritos to be crunchy. ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/35 "2003-09-08T23:01:55Z")
I do make Frito Pie at home. Unfortunately, it’s not as good as at the Hard Times Cafe. It’s kinda like hot dogs. I only like them when they are bought from a cart on some downtown corner. I’m off to get my Frito Pie now. hee hee. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/36 "2003-09-09T10:41:29Z")
The one true, correct, and proper way of eating Frito Pie is, of course, my own. q;} A big-ass bowl. Pour in some Fritos. Don’t bother using the chili-cheese flavor, that’s redundant. Open a can of Wolf-Brand Chili. Beans are optional. Purists will tell you that if it has beans, it isn’t chili. Ignore them. I personally like beans in frito pie. Nuke the hell out of it, that chili has to be hot to melt the cheese. Sprinkle some grated cheese and chopped onions over the fritos in the bowl. Add a generous portion of chili to this. Sprinkle more cheese and onions on top of the chili. Add a dollop of sour cream and a fork. Serve immediately. There’s a window of opportunity here that you need to work within. The chili is gonna be melting the cheese and soaking into the fritos. When you start eating it, you stir it up. That’s when the fritos start getting soggy. You WANT them just slightly moistened, but not soggy, 'cuz there’s not much worse than soggy frito pie, far as I’m concerned. Then again, you can always add another handful of fritos after nuking it. And taco bell used to wrap all this in a big-ass flour tortilla. Wonder if they still make those. MMMmmm… is it wrong that I’m craving frito pie at 6am? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/37 "2003-09-09T11:12:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenham \* > \*\*I’m not too certain, but all I can say is… onions, cheese, AND canned chili? I hope you’re in a well-ventilated place, afterwards. \*\* Yep. This is definitely a consideration. It does have the aftereffects that you imply. I make a dish that I call “Mexican Lasagna” by cooking 1 pound of ground beef with 1 diced onion, using one of the “Mexican” seasoning packets\* plus whatever else it calls for (usually water and tomato paste). Then I put down corn or flour tortillas in a casserole dish and put the meat mix, some pinto beans (refried or regular), shredded cheese (cheddar or coljack is good), and then repeating the layers. I heat this mess up in either the regular oven or the microwave until the ingredients are hot and the cheese has melted. If we have sour cream in the house, I add a dollop to each serving. This goes particularly well with a lettuce, tomato, and cucumber salad with ranch dressing. Avocado slices are a nice touch, too. And lots of sweet iced tea. This is NOT a diet meal, but it’s good comforting food. \*Enchilada, taco, chili, or burrito seasoning. ---
**Author:** ![Elysian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204/38 "2003-09-09T11:39:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by leenmi \* > \*\*(For those that haven’t been, Indianapolis is kinda cool. I was shocked.) \*\* Thank you for that plug for my hometown! Not many people are willing to consider Indy one of the best Midwestern towns, but it really is. If you haven’t visited for a few years, you must go again. They have really done a lot to the place. It’s a great hangout spot now. They’ve done wonders with the canal, the butterfly park, the downtown zoo, the museums (especially the Indianapolis Art Museum, a must-see). I am only living an hour and a half away now, and I go back to see friends whenever I can. Thank god the hyperfix is done! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frito-pie/200204.md?page=1)