Frito Pie Sloppy Joes

This meal could be your new family favorite. a Frito pie-inspired sloppy joes. 

Chili sloppy joes with crunchy corn chips and cheddar cheese served in a bun is a delicious meal with a twist. To keep things easy I like to make the chili the day before for flavors to meld. Then simply reheat the chili mixture adding in Frito chips and a handful of cheese for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Spoon mixture into buns Some suggested sides include coleslaw, corn, and watermelon.

Recipe adapted from closetcooking.com and serves 6. 

Frito Pie Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
For the chili

• 1 pound ground beef or 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb.Italian sausage   
• 3/4 cup diced sweet onions
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin. paprika and cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
• 1 small can or 1 cup thick tomato sauce 
• 1  (14.5 ounces) can of red kidney beans (or black beans or pinto beans)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper 

For the sloppy joes:

Buns 

Corn chips 
1 package 8 oz. Mexican Four Cheeses

Directions: 
For the chili

• Cook the beef and onion in a large saucepan, breaking the beef apart with a spoon, until the beef is cooked through. Salt and pepper as needed. Crumble meat and drain any excess grease. Pat meat dry with paper towels.   
• Mix dry spices together and add to the meat mixture. 
• Cook until fragrant, about a minute.
• Add the tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Transfer to a glass 9-inch pie pan.  I used a 10-inch quiche pan and that size worked well too. Cover pan with saran wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 

Baking for the sloppy joes:

• Spread the chili over the bottom of the pie pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the bag of shredded cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes.

• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and spread corn chips over the cheese and bake 5 minutes longer.