Home Cook Makes A Cheesy Chili Dog Skillet Using Canned Beans And Rotel

Never underestimate the power of canned foods. Consider canned chili beans: On their own they're just seasoned beans, but they upgrade a meal when used as a side, part of a larger recipe, or topper. That's what one home cook did with a dish combining canned chili beans, a can of Rotel diced tomatoes, hot dogs, cheese, and potatoes into a deconstructed chili dog skillet. Though Facebook user Cookinginthemidwest jokingly dubbed it as one of their "cheap and easy dinners that my kids didn't throw on the floor," this hearty dish is perfect for a game day party or a Saturday in.

The recipe is simple, but it does require some actual cooking. First off, the home cook peels and dices potatoes, although you can use frozen potatoes as a shortcut. Toss them in oil and seasonings (he uses salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika), then cook them in an air fryer (the oven or stovetop could also work). Meanwhile, he browns a pound of ground beef with chili seasoning and chopped onions in a large cast iron skillet. Once the meat's sufficiently cooked, he mixes in sliced hot dogs, chili beans, a can of Rotel diced tomatoes, and tomato paste to simmer. 

When the potatoes are ready, he adds them to the mix and tops the whole thing with shredded cheese. Pop the skillet into the oven to broil until the cheese is melted, then serve with the toppings of your choice; he opts for chopped green onions, but you could also add sour cream or pickled onions or jalapeños. The result is a gooey, protein-rich melange of savory flavors, anchored by those canned beans and Rotel tomatoes.

If you're not familiar with Rotel, it's something of an all-purpose ingredient that can take scrambled eggs to the next level or add tons of flavor to rice. Available from mild to hot, the brand's signature canned good consists of diced, cooked, and seasoned tomatoes mixed with a range of chile peppers. Nothing else needs to be done with them — just add them to any dish you're cooking for a flavor boost. Likewise, canned chili beans like S&W's premium variety come pre-seasoned and ready to enhance stews, fireman beans, and other dishes like this cheesy chili dog skillet.

These two canned ingredients, along with ground beef and cheese, can be cooked together and poured over hot dogs to make easy chili dogs. But the skillet dish prepared by Cookinginthemidwest is a great way to make a large batch that's easily shared among multiple people, avoiding any of the acrobatics needed to eat overstuffed chili dogs without making a mess. That's great news when you're dealing with kids or rowdy houseguests. 

This dish is also easy to customize to your liking, depending on the ingredients at hand. Add diced bell pepper with the onions, or swap out beef and traditional hot dogs for ground turkey and turkey dogs. If you don't have ground beef, cans of traditional chili with meat and beans also work well. And if you don't like the potatoes in the dish, consider serving them on the side, crispy, with their own seasonings.