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+ servings
Chili cheese fries.

Chili Cheese Fries Recipe

What's better than crispy French fries topped with homemade chili and cheese sauce?! These chili cheese fries are sure to be a family favorite in your house as a fun appetizer or game day snack.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 50 minutes
Fat 33
Carbs 54
Protein 31
Yield 8

Ingredients

Potatoes

  • 1 lb. frozen wedge potato fries
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon Lawry's salt

Chili 

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • ¼ medium white onion minced
  • 15 oz. canned tomato sauce
  • 15 oz. canned diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
  • 30 oz. canned red kidney beans drained and rinsed

Cheese Sauce 

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 1.5 cups cheddar cheese
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Optional 1.5 teaspoons mac and cheese powder adds color and salty flavor

Optional Toppings

  • 1 tablespoon chives minced

Instructions

Fries

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. 
  • Pour the potato wedges into a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil and toss. 
  • Sprinkle the potatoes with lawry’s and toss again. 
  • Spread the fries out on the greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 
    Potato wedges topped with chili and cheese on a baking sheet.

Chili

  • Heat a large pot over medium/high heat. Add the ground beef. 
  • Break the beef up into small pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add white onion. 
  • Cook the white onion with the ground beef until the beef is fully browned.
  • Add all of the ingredients for the chili (except for the kidney beans) to the pot and stir until all the ingredients are combined. 
  • Bring the chili to a boil and then turn heat to low and add the kidney beans. 
    chili beans atop a bed of crispy fries, all served in a pan on a white surface.
  • Let the chili simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat while preparing the cheese sauce. 

Cheese Sauce

  • Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter. 
  • Once the butter is melted, add the flour to the saucepan and whisk the ingredients together until a crumble forms. 
    A frying pan with chili cheese fries.
  • While continually whisking, slowly pour the milk into the saucepan. Whisk until all the milk has been added and all of the crumbles dissolve. 
  • Continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. 
  • Remove from heat and sprinkle the cheddar cheese, salt, and cheese powder (if using) into the saucepan. Whisk until all the cheese has melted. 

Assemble

  • Transfer the fries to a pan or platter, creating a pile. 
  • Top the fries with the chili and then drizzle the cheese sauce over the chili.
    a pile of chili cheese fries
  • Garnish chili cheese fries with fresh chives.

Watch it

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 624kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 33g | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 17g