Summertime is filled with the best food memories — backyard barbeques, ice cream sandwiches by the pool and classic all-American hot dogs while cheering for your favorite baseball team. Really, nothing brings back childhood memories faster than a mountain of cheesy goodness atop a ballpark hot dog. You can't go wrong with the recipe below.

My only problem with the chili cheese dog is the mess. I don’t really like eating messy food. In fact, I wouldn’t even eat spaghetti with meatballs as a child unless my mom substituted butter for marinara, because the tomato sauce was just too messy! Luckily, this casserole version of chili cheese dogs satisfies all of the cravings for this delicious fan favorite without any of the mess.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 50 mins

8 hot dog buns
Yellow mustard to taste
8 hot dogs
2 cups prepared chili
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place open hot dog buns inside a greased 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.

3. Drizzle the yellow mustard over each bun.

4. Place the hot dogs inside each bun.

5. Pour chili over the top.

Spread onions on top.

Top with cheddar cheese.

6. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and allow to bake for another 10 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Pro tip: This recipe can be easily modified to make any of your favorite ballpark dogs. Try making Chicago dogs by substituting chopped tomatoes, pepperoncini and sweet relish for the chili, or make this a barbecue bacon dog by substituting your favorite barbecue sauce for the chili and adding chopped bacon.

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