Chili Cheese Fries

Easy Chili Cheese Fries made with crispy fries, thick hearty chili, and an easy to make creamy sharp cheddar cheese sauce. They are the perfect main dish or party appetizer.

Course Appetizer, main meal

Cuisine American

Keyword chili cheese fries recipe, how to make chili cheese fries, how to reheat chili cheese fries

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 425kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

1 26 ounce bag frozen french fries
1 lb ground beef
1 small yellow onion chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 15-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes NOT drained
1 ¼ cups low-sodium beef broth
3-4 tablespoons tomato paste see notes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 15 ounce can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed

Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 ¼ cups whole milk
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Brown the ground beef in a Dutch Oven or large pot over medium heat. When the ground beef is about halfway browned, add the onion and continue cooking over medium heat until the beef is browned and the onion is soft.
Reduce the heat to low and add the minced garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
Stir in the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, brown sugar, and Worcestershire Sauce. Simmer for 30-40 minutes over low heat.
Add the drained kidney beans and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook fries according to package instructions. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees and cook for 10-15 minutes or until crispy.
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and paprika. Whisk in the milk until it is creamy and smooth. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Reduce the heat and slowly stir in the cheddar until smooth and melted.
Assemble by layering first the fries, then the chili ending with the creamy cheddar sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. For best results, serve promptly.

Notes

For optimum results use a good thick hearty chili that will help the fries stay crispy longer.
Air fryers work great for cooking fries, especially frozen French fries. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees and cook about 10 minutes. If your cheese sauce is not quite ready hold the fries in the air fryer where they will stay warm. If needed crisp for 1 minute right before assembling.
If the cheese sauce thickens too much add a couple tablespoons of milk at a time till desired consistency.
For optimum flavor purchase good quality sharp or white cheddar. The higher quality the cheese the better the flavor.

Nutrition