Chili Nacho Casserole

The other day, I learned that Frito Pie is a Texas thing. WHAT. How do people eat their chili?? Since my blog is famous nationwide and probably world wide, I will explain.  Frito Pie is a ton of Fritos (or corn chips) topped with tons of hot chili, onion, cheese, and sour cream.  It is heaven in a bowl.  When it’s cold outside, it will warm you up to the very tips of your pretty little toes.  Anyway, I tell you this to prepare you for the kind of dish I have for you today – chips with cheese and cheeseeee.  I didn’t use Fritos because I had tortilla chips in my pantry.  This is a nice spin on frito pie and is a fun way to eat casserole that doesn’t feel like a traditional casserole. It tastes even better the second day which makes for an extra good dish because leftovers are life. GLUTEN FREE and super customizable

Chili Nacho Casserole
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes                    Cook Time: 25 minutes

What you need:

• about 30-40 tortilla chips, broken into smaller pieces, divided
• 10 oz chili (I used part of H-E-B’s Texas 2 Step)
• 14.5 oz can of pinto beans, drained
• 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (low fat okay), divided
• onions, salsa, corn, etc – any other thing you thing would go well with your chili

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375* and line a small baking dish (8×8, 7×9, etc) with foil and spray with cooking spray
• Line the bottom of the dish with chips, I broke 1 chip into about 3 pieces. Make sure the whole pan is covered
• Combine the chili, beans, and tomatoes (or whatever you’re using) in a small bowl and stir to combine
• Pour the chili combo over the chips and top with 1/4 cup of cheese
• Bake for 20 minutes
• Remove the pan from the oven, top with the rest of the chips and cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or the cheese is your favorite doneness
• Let the casserole rest out of the oven for at least 5 minutes before serving

This recipe is adapted from Averie Cooks.