Chili cheese fries with beef and bean chili
60 min · 41 g protein · 541 cals / serving
Crisp oven fries smothered in a thick, smoky beef and kidney bean chili, then a layer of melted sharp cheddar, a dollop of cool yogurt and a scatter of green onion and jalapeño. Every forkful is crunchy, saucy and cheesy, the diner classic made into a proper dinner.
Ingredients
Fries
- 3 medium (1 1/3 lb) potato, scrubbed, skin on, cut into 1 cm (1/2-inch) fries
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chili
- 2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika, smoked if you have it
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (15 oz), drained kidney beans, rinsed
- 1/2 tsp salt
To finish
- 1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
Steps
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Soak the cut fries in cold water for 10 minutes, dry them very well, toss with the oil and salt and spread on two lined sheet pans with space between them. Roast 30–35 minutes, flipping once, until golden and crisp.
- Meanwhile, brown the beef in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until well browned and no pink remains (160°F), 6–8 minutes. Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook 4 minutes more, then stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and tomato paste for a minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, beans and salt and simmer, stirring now and then, for 15 minutes, until thick enough to sit on the fries without running off.
- Push the fries together into one pan or a large ovenproof dish, spoon the chili over the middle and scatter the cheddar on top. Return to the oven for 3–4 minutes, until the cheese melts.
- Finish with spoonfuls of yogurt, the green onion and the jalapeño. Serve hot.
Good to know
Can I make the chili ahead?
Yes, and it is better for it. It keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer; reheat until bubbling while the fries roast.
Vegetarian?
Swap the beef for a second can of beans and a cup of finely chopped mushrooms browned hard in the pan. Cook the chili 5 minutes longer. It's about the same score.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 110
- Protein
- (31%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (25%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (44%)
- 13 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 220 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2162 kcal goes into the pot and 2422 g of ingredients comes out as about 1960 g of food: 110 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.