Easy Frito Pie Casserole

This is a little post-holiday gift for you, to combat all of the gooey sweetness than seems to pummel us at this time of the year. It is a stupidly easy, 10-minute-to-prepare casserole, that is comforting, satisfying, delicious, and a very pleasant break from all of the season’s rich foods. You probably have the ingredients on hand, namely a can of chili, a bag of corn chips or taco chips, and cheese. I call this a Frito Pie because I make it in a pie pan, and use Fritos as the base, but you could just as easily call it Tortilla Pie by using tortilla chips for the base (or a combination of both).

I used a can of Wolf Chili with Meat, but you can make this vegetarian by adding chili without meat. You can go crazy with the toppings, or leave it simple. Want more vegetables? Shred some lettuce, mound it on top, and sprinkle on some chunks of tomato. You can use cheddar cheese, or whatever you happen to have on hand, or a combination of everything that you have on hand. Seriously, nothing can be easier, and it is so good!

Easy Frito Pie Casserole

5 cups Fritos corn chips
1 15-oz. can chiliwith or without meat, your choice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 2.25-oz. can sliced black olives
1/2 cup salsa (I used Paul Newman’s Black Bean)
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Place chips in the bottom of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Pour chili straight from the can over the chips. Sprinkle shredded cheese over all, and then top with black olives. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until chili is bubbling. Top with lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, salsa, or anything else you can think of, and serve.