This Cheesy French Fry Casserole recipe is made with frozen french fries and shredded cheddar cheese. Easy to make, baked in the oven for 1 hour. Your entire family is going to love these Loaded French Fries!

Everyone loves french fries (especially with burgers!), and everyone loves nachos. So what happens when you combine the two? You get this yummy recipe! This French Fry Casserole is so much fun to eat and it’s loaded with great flavors. You can get creative and really pile on the toppings!
I always have a bag of frozen French fries in my freezer because I always stock up on them when they’re on sale. They are a great time saver for nights when you want a quick and easy side dish or you want a really substantial snack.
Whenever French fries are on sale, usually 2 bags for $5, I always grab two bags.
A few nights ago, I was going through the process of what to make for dinner. There were a few rules:
- I wanted French fries.
- I wanted to use up heavy creamy, which was about to expire.
- I wanted to use some type of garden vegetable.
- I wanted the meal to be quick to prepare. This means frozen French fries.
- I wanted it to be delicious.
And just like that, French Fry Casserole was born!
When I took these loaded French fries out of the oven, I pulled back the foil and I wish I had a video to document Matthew’s reaction. It was pure excitement for this casserole.
How to Make
This recipe is about as simple as it gets. The first step is to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and cover the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish with frozen french fries. Next, pour the heavy cream over the top and sprinkle on the cheddar cheese. Then, put the chili beans and bell peppers on top of the cheese.
Cover the prepared casserole with foil and poke a fork through the foil 3 times – this helps the steam escape. Bake for 1 hour. Finally, remove the dish from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Variations
The toppings listed here, happen to be our favorites but you can always add any others that you like.
- I used chili beans because I like the flavor but you could either use regular chili, or you could just use regular beans, like black beans or red kidney beans.
- On top, I added a chopped green bell pepper. This gives the casserole a great crunch and it just makes me happy to use anything we grow in the garden. Any color bell pepper will work. Or even add a sliced jalapeno pepper for spice.
- Add diced tomatoes or fresh salsa, in addition to the peppers.
- Try adding shredded chicken or ground beef to the top for a little extra protein and a complete meal. Bacon bits would be yummy too!
- Other fun topping ideas are black olives, pico de gallo, avocado or guacamole and/or sour cream.
What to do with Leftovers?
This dish is best served immediately and if you’re feeding a family, I doubt there will be leftovers, but just in case….
Store the leftover french fries covered in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days. Reheat them in a toaster oven or regular oven at about 350 degrees F for several minutes and until fully heated. I would not recommend reheating these in the microwave, as they will become mushy.
Hope you enjoy this French Fry Casserole for dinner soon!
More Casserole Recipes
My favorites are: Baked Spaghetti Casserole, Tater Tot Casserole, Shipwreck Casserole, Cabbage Roll Casserole, Pizza Casserole, Cheesy Green Pepper Casserole and Quesadilla Casserole.
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French Fry Casserole
PrintIngredients
- 1 32 oz bag frozen french fries
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 15 oz can chili beans
- 1 green bell pepper chopped up
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with frozen french fries.
- Pour heavy cream on top, over the french fries.
- Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
- Finally, add chili beans and bell peppers on top, spreading them across the casserole.
- Cover with foil and poke a fork through the foil 3 times, this helps the steam escape.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
PS: check out my web story too!
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
Whoa! Now that’s wickedly good Pamela! ๐
Laura Dembowski says
I love french fries too! If loving this casserole is wrong, I don’t want to be right!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Cheesy french fry casserole? Be still my heart.
Pamela says
My heart races with butterflies thinking about this dish!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
Oh. Ma. Gah. *drooling* Now that is a sight for my tired, hungry, sore eyes. SIGN ME UP!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
I have a crush on french fries, too! How can you not?! This is awesome!
Pamela says
I’m crushing on them too Ashley!
Pam says
I love fries too – man this casserole has me drooling!
Suzanne says
Oh totally delicious, brings back memories of eating at this all night place in Manhattan, they only served their cheese fries after midnight. I always like mine with some chili too!
Pamela says
Suzanne, that sounds like such a magical dining experience!
Jamie@Milk 'n' Cookies says
Haha, you weren’t kidding around when you wrote on my blog that you love French Fries! There’s a lot of cheesy goodness going on here!
BTW, have you ever tried the Peruvian dish Lomo Saltado? You create a stir fry with fried potatoes, among other things. It’s pretty much the best thing ever (imho), and I think you’d love it!
Pamela says
I’m looking into that dish now Jamie, thanks for recommending!
Gintare @Gourmantine says
I’m not that big of a fan of french fries, but that’s a bloody fabulous casserole dish!
Aimee / Wallflower Girl says
:O! Genius!
Liz says
Oh, my gosh…cheesy french fry casserole??? Irresistible! I over-stock, too…can’t resist a bargain ๐
Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says
This is like cheese fry heaven!! Mmm!
Kelly says
Oh my word!!!! Cheesy fries are my ultimate weakness! This looks insanely good Pamela! I don’t think you could leave me alone with this casserole for more than 5 minutes before I polish it off all by myself :-/ *hides head down in shame*
Pamela says
No shame Kelly, I’m in the same boat! ๐
Kristina says
OMY. This is actually genius. I need this. right. now.
vanillasugarblog says
LOL!
Yeah that would be very dangerous for me to make.
That’s just total food porn!
Jaclyn says
Yea Zack would pretty much die if I made this for him, he loooves french fries! This is a great idea.
Amy @ Elephant Eats says
Um, this sounds amazing! I’m totally a grocery item hoarder. And the ones that get put in the freezer always get forgotten about.
Amy @ Long Drive Journey says
Wow. I’d swap out the beans for meat and this is literally the perfect dish. I thought I had eaten potatoes (especially fried potatoes) in every way possible, but apparently not!! Delicious!
Stephanie @ PlainChicken says
YUM! This looks awesome! It would be great for watching football. Definitely giving this a try!
Jess @ Gas Stove Girl says
Oh, well now, THIS is a small stroke of genius if ever I’ve seen it!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} LIfe says
Glorified cheese fries sound like my kind of comfort food. I wish you had had a video! I love it when using up ingredients becomes a hit. You hit these out of the park, Pamela!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
I just died and went to foodie heaven! French fries are my weakness! But french fries in a casserole!?!??! I can die happy!
Katie says
I’m sending this recipe to my mom – this is her kind of recipe! I bet you could use all kinds of vegetables form the garden. Brocolli, cauliflower, spinach, all of the above…
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says
Oh. My. Gosh. I can not tell you how amazing this sounds!
Monica says
When I saw the title, I had to check this out. I love the way your mind thinks – very creatively. I love it! : )
Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies says
The first time I found a restaurant with vegetarian cheese fries, I ate an entire order (plus brunch, shhh) and went back as immediately possible to get more. I LOVE this! Any way to convince people I can have cheesey, chili-y fries for dinner (or breakfast?) is a good one.
Pamela says
This sounds like one delicious breakfast Kelly! ๐
Sophie says
MMMM,!!!! What a great, tasty & alternative special oven dish recipe!
Excellent too. Yummmmmmmmo.
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
Cheesy casseroles > everything else
Seriously, what a dinner, this looks fantastic!! And yeah, I too have my freezer/fridge/pantry stocked with items which were on sale (hello 20kg bag of flour!) ๐
Pamela says
I’m that way with sugar!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
I. DIE. You are kiiiiiiilling me, Pamela! This looks soooo good…wish I could eat cheese. (Boohoo! Have to go non-dairy now due to allergy.) At least I can stop by your blog for some good food porn. ๐ Hubby will love this. Thanks for sharing, girl!
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says
you had me at cheesy ๐