Texas Chili Dogs
These Texas Chili Dogs are loaded with homemade beef chili, yellow mustard, cheddar cheese, chopped onion, fresh jalapeños, and crunchy Fritos. They're hearty, messy, and packed with bold flavor, making them perfect for cookouts, game day, or an easy family dinner.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- large saucepan
- grill or grill pan
- cheese grater
Ingredients
For the chili
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ medium sweet yellow onion finely chopped
- ½ red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
For the hot dogs
- 8 bun-length hot dogs
- 8 hot dog buns
- yellow mustard for topping
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 cup Fritos corn chips lightly crushed
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into crumbles, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 10 minutes.1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 pound lean ground beef
- Add the finely chopped onion and red bell pepper and stir well.½ medium sweet yellow onion, ½ red bell pepper
- Add the tomato sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.1 can tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, salt and pepper
- Bring the mixture just to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cook the hot dogs on a grill or grill pan until heated through and lightly seared on the outside.8 hot dog buns
- Place the hot dog buns in the preheated oven and warm for about 10 minutes, taking care not to brown them.8 bun-length hot dogs
- Place one hot dog into each bun.
- Top each hot dog with yellow mustard, chili, grated cheddar cheese, chopped yellow onion, sliced jalapeño, and crushed Fritos.yellow mustard, 1 cup chopped yellow onion, 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, 1 jalapeño pepper, 1 cup Fritos corn chips
- Serve immediately.
Notes
🥡 Storage
- For the best results, refrigerate the chili, cooked hot dogs, cheese, onion, and jalapeños separately in airtight containers.
- Keep the buns and Fritos separate at room temperature.
♨️ Reheating
- Reheat the chili in a saucepan over the stovetop, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Reheat the hot dogs separately and warm fresh buns before assembling.
❄️ Freezing
- The assembled chili dogs are not recommended for freezing because the buns and toppings won't maintain their best textures.
- If you plan to freeze anything, freeze the chili separately.
💡 Tips for best results
- Allow the chili to simmer for the full 30 minutes so it can thicken and develop flavor.
- Add the cheese while the chili is hot, and don't add the Fritos until immediately before serving.
🍳 Alternate cooking methods
- The hot dogs can be cooked on an outdoor grill or a grill pan as directed. Other cooking methods may heat the hot dogs, but the light sear from grilling is part of this recipe.
♻️ Leftovers
- Turn leftover chili into another batch of chili dogs or spoon it over fries or baked potatoes.
- Keep unused toppings separate, so they stay fresh.
📝 Notes
- These chili dogs are best assembled immediately before serving.
- For parties or game day, keep the chili warm and set out the remaining ingredients so everyone can build their own.
Nutrition
Serving: 1hot dog | Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 1219mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1447IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 318mg | Iron: 5mg
