New Mexican Frito Pie

Frito Pie is the ultimate comfort food. The crunch of the chips, the spice of the chile, gooey cheese, and freshness of raw vegetables is pretty hard to beat. I hope you caught the “e” on chile which is the pepper grown in New Mexico and plays a pivotal role in this dish. 

Texans also coined a frito pie that found its way into concession stands across America that have canned chili and cheese often served straight in the frito bag.

The New Mexican version has pinto beans and sometimes ground beef, and always has copious amounts of red chile. While the concession stand version hits the spot, I would say this one has my heart.

Since there are a couple of main components, I will break the main parts into their own recipe and then we’ll tie it together.

I’m using canned beans for this recipe. Yes, dried beans are better. If I’m making frito pies for a large crowd, I’ll do dried beans. When it’s just us, it’s hard to beat the ease of canned beans and it will still be delicious.

Some frito pies have ground beef mixed into the chile, but we’re in Lent now so vegetarian it will be.

Most of the time you see Fritos on the bottom of the bowl. I always opt to have them on top so they don’t get soggy.

Red Chile Ingredients
6 oz dried New Mexican red chile pods 2 c chopped onions
6 c water
½ tsp salt

Red Chile Directions
Break off the stems of the 6 oz of pods. Stick your finger in the hole and loosen the seeds. Turn the pod upside down and tap it so the seeds fall out of the pod. The seeds won’t all come out. Rinse it under water.

Place it in a pot with 2 c onions and 6 c water. Allow it to soak for about 20 minutes. The pods should feel softer but still stiff. Bring the water to a low boil and cover for about 45 minutes. The pods should be soft and pliable, the skins will still seem dry. If the pods don’t bend easily, keep boiling.

When it’s done, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to a warm temperature.

Take about 2/3 of the liquid and pods and put it in a blender. Blend it for at least 2 minutes. It will seem like a long time, but it will need it. If you don’t have a high power blender, blend longer. 

Pour the contents through a fine mesh strainer that sits over a bowl. Take a spoon and press the blended pods down until most of the liquid has gone through. Add the solids from the strainer back to the blender along with the remaining liquid and pods. Blend at least 4 minutes.

Pour it through the strainer and press it through with a spoon until the solids left behind are almost dry and are starting to flake.

Compost the solids. Pour the chile back into the pot. Stir in ½ tsp of salt. Taste. The consistency should be on the thicker side, like a medium-body gravy. You can add more water if needed or boil some out if it’s too thin. Add more salt if needed. Warm it before serving. 

Pinto Beans Ingredients
2 Tbl butter
1 c of chopped onion
1 Tbl minced garlic
4 - 15.5 oz cans pinto beans
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbl red chile powder

Pinto Beans Directions
Heat a sauce pan to medium heat. Add 2 Tbl spoons of butter. It should immediately melt and start to see it separating. Add 1 c of chopped onion, you should hear an initial sizzle that quiets. 

When the onion softens but isn’t clear yet, add 1 Tbl minced garlic. You’ll add the beans once the onion is clear and tender.

Drain 3 cans of beans and add the beans to the pot. Drain about ⅓ of the liquid from the 4th can. Add the beans and remaining liquid to the pot. Add ½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, and 1 Tbl red chile powder. Bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Taste. Add salt if you need but generally canned beans have plenty.

Frito Pie Ingredients
Pinto beans
Red chile
Sharp cheddar (the standard not fancy kind)
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped white onions
Fritos

Frito Pie Directions
In a bowl, add beans, a generous amount of chile (you want the beans to be swimming in a kiddie pool), add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Top with Fritos.

People like different ratios of the ingredients so I’ll let you figure that part out.

Notes
New Mexican chile pods can be hard to find outside of New Mexico or in its close vicinity. Most grocery stores have a Mexican or international aisle that have small bags of different types of peppers. There’s usually a heat level indicator on the packs that you can use as a guide. Just remember the heat levels are relative. If your chile pods are too milk, you can add ground cayenne.