Texas Independence Day: Toast the Lone Star State With Some Frito Pie

Happy Texas Independence Day!

173 years ago settlers living in Mexican Texas made it official: they broke away from Mexico and formed the Republic of Texas.

And while March 2nd is an official holiday only in the Lone Star state, we wanted to give them a nod this year by cooking up some Frito pie. A simple Texan dish to make, Frito Pie consists of corn chips (Fritos are originally from Texas) piled on with chili, shredded cheese, onions, and other optional toppings.

For an easy, breezy recipe that bypasses day-long chili simmering, check out The Homesick Texan. This site has an hour-long chili con carne recipe that is a piece of cake to pull together. Once the chili is done, put a heaping handful of Frito chips on a plate (or just open the Frito bag if you are feeling intrepid), add a cup of the chili, some shredded cheese, chopped onions, and other toppings you fancy.

We were inspired by the additions Serious Eats’ vegan Frito pie recipe used. Sure, they are probably not authentic Tex Mex, but the avocado, jalapeños, scallions, and cilantro trimmings gave our meal even more texture and flavor. Just make sure to have your fat pants on while eating this savory pie: it’s delicious, but thankfully for our waistlines, Texas Independence Day is only once a year.

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Jessie Pascoe lives in Brooklyn where she writes about food and fashion. She has a serious cookbook hoarding problem and loves testing out unusual and quirky dishes.

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