Crescent Roll Taco Bake

Refrigerated crescent rolls are a busy cook’s “secret weapon,” and this taco pie with crescent rolls shows exactly why. Whether you separate the dough into individual rolls or use the whole sheet of dough as-is (as we do here), a simple can of rolls gives you a flaky, buttery crust that works equally well in savory meals, appetizers or even desserts.

Crescent roll taco pie is in the savory meals category. It combines the flavors you love in homemade tacos but turns them into a hearty and comforting casserole.

Ingredients for Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls

• Crescent rolls: Many recipes begin with a can of refrigerated crescent rolls because they’re convenient and tasty. In this case, the taco pie needs a crust and crescent rolls provide one that’s light, flaky and easy.
• Corn chips: The crushed corn chips give this crescent roll taco pie recipe texture and crunch.
• Ground beef: Ground beef crumbles are the core ingredient in many homemade tacos and in taco-adjacent recipes like this taco pie. The beef provides enough protein to balance the carbs in the crust and corn chip topping.
• Tomato sauce: The tomato sauce adds flavor, moisture and color to the pie and recalls the sauce you’ll drizzle over your homemade tacos.
• Taco seasoning: Taco seasoning is what turns plain old ground beef into a taco filling, whether you spoon it into hard shells or layer it into a crescent roll taco pie, like this one.
• Sour cream: Sour cream adds richness and its distinctive tang to the taco pie.
• Cheddar cheese: The shredded cheddar melts over the remaining ingredients, combining with the crushed corn chip topping to give the pie a golden brown, crunchy and delicious crust.
• Avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and cilantro (optional): The crescent roll taco pie is good all on its own, but it’s even better when you top it with some or all of these optional ingredients.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the crescent roll crust

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Heat your oven to 350°F. While it’s coming up to temperature, unroll the crescent roll dough into an unbroken rectangle. Press it into the bottom of a greased 13X9-inch baking dish, sealing the seams and perforations and working from the middle to the edge until it reaches 1 inch up the sides of the dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of corn chips over the crust.

Step 1: Mix the filling

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Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s no longer pink, then drain it thoroughly to remove any excess fat. Stir in the tomato sauce and taco seasoning and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the meat in its sauce, uncovered, for five minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chips in the baking dish. Top with the sour cream, cheese and the remaining corn chips

Step 3: Bake the crescent roll taco pie

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Bake the pie, uncovered, for 25 minutes until the crust is lightly golden brown. Scatter the optional toppings over the pie, if you choose to use them, before serving.

Kristina Vänni for Taste of Home

Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls Variations

• Give it a burrito spin: For an easy variation, swap the tomato sauce for refried beans and shred some extra cheese. Now, instead of a crescent roll taco bake you have a burrito bake.
•  Add salsa verde : Tomato sauce makes a tasty taco, but swapping it out for salsa verde elevates the recipe and takes it in a different direction.
• Make a taco ring: For this variation you’ll need two cans of crescents. Prepare the filling as directed for the taco pie with crescent rolls, but arrange and fill the crescents as directed in this pizza ring recipe. Add corn chips and sour cream to each triangle, roll them up, then top them with the cheese and remaining chips for a shareable, party-friendly version of the pie. To really give it a lavish appearance, mound those optional ingredients in the middle of the ring before you serve it.

How to Store Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls

If you have any leftover taco pie (it takes some self-control), you can cover the uneaten portion and refrigerate it in its 13X9-inch pan. Alternatively, you could spoon individual portions into food storage containers with tight-fitting lids.

Can I make this crescent roll taco pie ahead of time?

This pie isn’t well suited for baking ahead because the corn chip crust will soften in the refrigerator and lose the crunch that makes it so appealing. It’s still edible, just not as much fun. Your best bet, if you want to get a head-start on mealtime, is to brown the beef and simmer the sauce ahead of time. Keep them in your refrigerator until you’re ready to fully cook. Assembling the ingredients in the pan should only take about 5 minutes, saving you 20 minutes of prep time. Warm up your sauce in the microwave for a few minutes, while you’re getting the crust ready and then bake the pie as usual.

Can I freeze the taco pie?

You can freeze the pie either before or after baking. To freeze it unbaked, prepare the lower crust and filling and fill a 13X9 pan that can go from the freezer to oven. To serve, place the half-finished pie in your preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, then add the sour cream, chips and cheese and finish the recipe as usual. To freeze a finished taco pie, either cover the pan and freeze it whole or make individual portions in freezer-safe food storage containers with airtight lids. Reheat the pie in an oven or toaster oven, rather than a microwave, to restore some of the upper crust’s crunch.

Tips for Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls

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Does it matter what kind of crescent rolls I use?

Any brand of crescent rolls will do the job, but of course some brands are better than others. Buy the best crescents your local stores keep on hand. Even the good ones are relatively inexpensive so it’s an easy upgrade.

Can I make my own crescent roll dough instead?

You bet! If you have the time and want to expand your baking skills, knowing how to make crescent rolls from scratch is a great tool to have in your arsenal. Aside from recipes like this, crescent roll dough makes a great base for easy appetizers.

If I use extra-lean beef do I still need to drain it?

It’s up to you. Once the beef is cooked, tilt the pan and scrape a space in the beef with your spatula. If there’s no visible quantity of beef grease pooling, you can probably get away with not draining it. Usually, even with extra-lean, there’s enough grease to make the extra draining step worthwhile.