This Paleo Frito Pie is made possible by some Paleo-friendly grain-free chips and the best chili. This is a great meal for families or your next gathering as everyone can make their bowl exactly how they like it.
I think we’re close enough friends at this point for me to admit this: Frito Pie is pretty much one of my most favorite foods on the planet. I KNOW, I know, as a nutritionist I probably shouldn’t admit that out-loud (much less in written words) …but it’s the truth. If you have no idea what Frito Pie is, allow me to introduce you to the dish that never gets old (to me): it starts off with a layer of chips (obviously, Fritos are the classic choice). Those chips are topped with some kind of chili and that chili is then topped with whatever your heart desires. As a kid, I’d layer on the cheese and sour cream. As an adult, I love a dash of onion and some jalapeno peppers, too. Though I couldn’t, in good conscious, post a recipe on the blog here that called for real-deal Fritos (the oils aren’t great), I did want to propose a Paleo-friendly alternative.
We’re going to use Siete Tortilla Chips as our base and then, if you’re avoiding dairy, a coconut milk-based sour cream! For the chili, make your favorite! I personally love THIS Bison Chili, but I often make it with ground beef instead.
This recipe is great for cold nights, quick weeknight meals, and, of course, football! If you’re gearing up for a Super Bowl party, this frito pie is a perfect fit! If you’re looking for more Super Bowl recipes, click for a full game day round-up! A few of my favorite recipes:
Appetizers:
Main Dishes:
- Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Bowls
- BBQ Pork Plantain Pizza
- Easy Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Chipotle Brisket
- Paleo Chinese Sticky Ribs
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
- Loaded Carnitas Trash Can Lid Nachos
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Fingers
Desserts:
- No-Bake Key Lime Pie
- Gluten Free Chocolate Graham Cracker Bark
- Chocolate Chili Pecan Clusters
- Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie
This is one of those meals our family loved growing up because everyone could make their bowl *exactly* how they liked it. My mom would put out all the fixin’s and we’d assemble to our heart’s desire. This is also a great meal option if you’re hosting a group of people! Just put all the components out and let folks choose what they’d like for themselves.
Note: if you’re not opposed to rice, you could easily turn these into rice + chili bowls by cooking up a batch of white rice!
I hope you enjoy!
Paleo Frito Pie
Ingredients
For the Chili:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter ghee, or your favorite cooking fat
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 24 ounces tomato puree or tomato sauce
- 1.5 cups or 12 ounces water tip from my mom: just fill the tomato puree jar halfway up
For the Paleo Sour Cream:
- 2 cans full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight 13 1/2-ounce cans
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 small lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Frito Pie:
- 1 bag Siete Foods tortilla chips
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 fresh jalapeno thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
For the Chili:
- In a large pot over medium/high heat, add the ground beef, break it up with a spoon, and stir until it's completely browned. This may take about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ground meat to a separate bowl, leaving the drippings behind in the pan. Add the butter to the browned beef pan and then the chopped onion. Saute until the onions are translucent and then add the garlic. Keep cooking until the onions start to develop a slightly brown color.
- Return the ground meat to the pan, stir to combine, and then add the seasonings. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the spices darken in color slightly. Add the tomato puree and water, stir to combine, and let simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until some of the water has evaporated off.
For the Paleo Sour Cream:
- Open the cans of chilled coconut milk. Scoop off the cream that has risen to the top and place it in a food processor or blender. Save the coconut water for shakes or other uses.
- Add the lemon juice and salt to the food processor or blender and blend for about 1 minute, until it has a smooth, even consistency.
- Use right away or transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator.
For the Frito Pie:
- Layer tortilla chips in the bottom of a small bowl, top with desired amount of chili, sour cream, onion, jalapeno, and green onions and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This was amazing! It brought me back to getting those Frito Chili Pies at Sonic with my mom 🙂 Thanks for bringing these nostalgic healthy dishes into my life. I seriously thought it would be impossible to eat fun foods for super bowl this year and stay on my plan, but I was able to have my cake (in this case, pie) and eat it too!
yes, this makes a nice guilty pleasure recipe for me too, although I’m not a nutritionist, so I can plead ignorance, or at least have this on a cheat day of my “slow carb” thing, and even maybe skip the actual fritos in favor of the chips you recommend, thank you for this recipe!