Taco Crescent Bake

Have a pound or two of cooked taco meat in your fridge along with a couple cans of crescent rolls? Make this!

This recipe began as a leftover recipe, as we have tacos every Tuesday (can’t get enough of them!) so this was what I made with the left over taco meat on Wednesday. Of course then the family started preferring this recipe to tacos so now I make extra on Tuesday so I’ll have enough meat for it on Wednesday!

Crescent rolls are spread on the bottom of a 9×13 dish and then topped with seasoned taco meat, tomatoes, sour cream and shredded cheese. Top with chips for some crunch, then pop in a 375°F oven to bake!

Once they are done baking they slice perfectly into squares and pop right out with the help of a spatula.

Why the Layers Matter

The crescent roll dough is really the foundation for the recipe. It will be soft and a little bit buttery.

If you press the seams together properly you will basically have a large piece of pastry. This is what will hold everything else together so you can pull out beautiful squares and not just heaps.

The meat really has all the seasoning in it so be sure you season it the way you like. Nothing else is seasoned and that’s going to give all of its flavor to this recipe.

The tomatoes add some pizzazz and texture. Be sure and drain the tomatoes as this recipe has a lot of cheese and meat which are very rich and the tomatoes add some flavor and texture but they also have the most water so drain well.

Next is a layer of sour cream (many people want to omit this but I say don’t do it!). The sour cream is just enough to keep it moist but not enough to make the crescent roll dough spongy. It will be a creamy layer between the cheese and meat.

The cheese will melt and form a layer on top. Add the chips towards the end so they will stay crispy.

The Ingredients, One at a Time

Crescent roll dough

Tip: Two cans of the crescent roll dough will line the bottom of the dish (when rolled out) just about perfectly (I use a 9×13 dish). Be sure to pinch together any seams or holes so it makes one large piece.

If you make this without fixing all of the little holes and seams, when it’s time to cut into it, the bottom crust falls apart a bit since some of the filling can leak through.

Cooked taco meat

You’ll need 2 to 3 cups of cooked taco meat. I usually make mine with ground beef, however, you can use ground turkey as well.

I often use ground turkey and just season it a tad bit heavier since it does have a much milder flavor than the beef. But, when the sour cream and cheese is added to it, you won’t even notice a difference!

Taco seasoning

Make sure it’s tasty! Trust me on this.

I like to add the entire packet of seasoning (and often times more, be generous with the seasoning). Brown the meat, season it in the skillet and taste it before you add it to the rest of the casserole.

If you find that it’s lacking in the skillet, it will surely be a flat tasting casserole! And you can’t go back and adjust it!

Old El Paso’s original is my fave but feel free to use whatever you like, even homemade! This is the most important tasting of the entire recipe.

Diced tomatoes

Next add a can of diced tomatoes (drain very well. There’s more liquid in those things than you could dream of and it WILL seep into your crust and make it soggy). I drain mine in a mesh strainer, mashing back down with a spoon to get as much liquid out as possible.

TIP – You can also use a can of tomato sauce if some in the party don’t care for chunky tomatoes. The tomato sauce will be more smooth in texture and has just as much flavor!

Sour cream

Spread 1 cup of sour cream over the meat (while meat is still warm the sour cream will spread much easier. If you wait for the meat to cool, you will find yourself dragging it around on top of the meat, picking the meat back up with the sour cream as you go.)

TIP – Full fat plain Greek Yogurt also makes a great sour cream sub here! It’s just as tangy, creamy and spreads easily.

Shredded cheese

Top with shredded cheese – recipe calls for 2 cups of cheese. I think a Mexican cheese blend makes the best melty cheese topping but you can use whatever type of cheese you have on hand – Cheddar, Colby Jack, reduced fat…the list goes on and on!

TIP – Try and spread the cheese all the way to the edges/corners so all areas will be cheese covered when cut up to serve.

Crushed chips

One or two cups (technically optional, but I like them). I use nacho cheese flavored Doritos first since they contribute some flavor as well as crunch, but regular tortilla chips will do, or Fritos, or anything crunchy and salty you may have stashed in your pantry.

Crush with your hands or in a baggie, then set aside for when the casserole is about half way done.

How to Make It

Preheat oven to 375. I like to use a lidded glass dish for two reasons: the lid makes storage of leftovers easier, as you can pop it directly into the fridge (I use a 9×13), and glass just seems to cook more evenly to me (the edges of the rolls in a metal dish seem to brown/burn faster).

Spray a 9 x 13 glass or metal baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll two cans of crescent rolls and place into pan, forming one layer, pinching the seams together and patching up any holes/tears.

You can stop here and go straight to meat, etc… or pre-bake the rolls for a firmer bottom crust. On many a rushed weeknight I’ve skipped the pre-bake, it’s just a softer crust, but if you’d like your taco squares to be more solid, I’d recommend giving the crust a jump-start and baking the rolls by themselves for 6-8 minutes to start.

Take them out and add an even layer of the taco meat to the edges of the dish, followed by tomatoes (drain very well if using, or feel free to sub tomato sauce and spread over top).

Add sour cream next, straight over the still-steaming hot meat. Spoon it around until the surface is covered with sour cream, then top with cheese (again to the edges of the pan).

Bake for 15 min, cheese should be bubbling at the edges. Top with chips (I just crush up a handful with my hands), and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until heated through, bubbling, and nice and brown on edges of crescent rolls.

Remove dish from oven and allow to sit on counter for about 5 minutes. (This will allow it to set up a bit, and your squares won’t fall apart as easily, otherwise all the sour cream & tomato stuff will just sort of slide out of the rolls when you cut into it).

How to Keep It From Getting Soggy

The culprit of this is moisture. Here are my top tips:

• Drain those tomatoes well. Seriously, this is the #1 most important tip!
• Close those seams on your crescent roll “crust” so that none of the wet ingredients make their way down there.
• Pre-bake your “crust” for 6-8 minutes before adding your other (moist) ingredients.
• Add the chips for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time so that they won’t get steamed under the cheese and go soft.
• Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

On a normal weeknight I probably wouldn’t pre-bake, but if I had company coming and REALLY wanted them to be able to cut nice neat squares I’d do ALL of my listed habits!

I also find that sometimes the edges of this dish cook faster than the middle. So if this happens to you I like to loosely cover the casserole with some aluminum foil for the last couple of minutes of baking time.

What to Serve With It

On a weeknight when these are the meal I’d serve them with a side salad, something to go with all the sour cream and cheese!

You could also serve these on Taco Night with lots of fixings (shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, olives, green onions, salsa, more sour cream…).

I think they’d also be really good taken to a pot luck, they travel well (covered, of course!), stay hot for a really long time and taste good even after they’ve cooled to room temp.

Ways to Change It Up

A couple ideas for changing this recipe up: You can add a couple spoonfuls of cream cheese to the meat (about 2 or 3 tablespoons) and stir till it’s melted into the meat. It makes it creamier, and helps the casserole retain it’s moisture if you re-heat it.

You can make these spicier by using hot taco seasoning, pepper jack cheese in place of the cheddar or top the casserole with sliced jalapeños before baking.

I often make these with ground turkey instead of beef, turkey is my go-to sub if I’m not using beef.

You can also make a veggie version of these that is really economical: cook together a can of black beans (drained) and a can of corn (drained) along with the taco seasonings. It stretches things out really well!

If you have plain tortilla chips or Fritos those would work too in this recipe, my fav are the nacho cheese Doritos, but plain tortilla chips are perfectly good.

I’ve not used either pizza dough or canned biscuits in this recipe but think thinly cut pizza dough (homemade or store-bought) or canned biscuits pressed out to fit would both work.

You can use plain full fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream straight across (i.e. same amount). You can probably sub pretty much any cheese that melts well, too!

Lastly if you like beans, you can spread out a thin layer of refried beans on the crust before adding the meat filling to these…

Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

You can make the casserole all the way through adding the cheese and refrigerate. When ready to bake add chips and place in oven. May take a few minutes longer since casserole will be coming out of refrigerator and be cold.

Another option is to brown and season meat mixture a day ahead of time and make casserole when ready to eat.

When storing leftovers in fridge make sure container is tightly covered and will keep well for up to 3 days.

Reheat leftovers in 350 degree oven to keep rolls from getting rubbery (as would happen if reheated in microwave). If you miss the chips being crispy you can always add a few more once reheated!

Quality will decrease slightly the longer it’s in storage. Crescent rolls get a little softer and chips get less crispy when casseroles are stored (frozen or fresh in refrigerator), but will still be delicious! Best to eat within 3 days.

Ways to Use the Leftovers

• Taco quesadillas: heat up some of the filling in a skillet and put it between two flour tortillas. Cook until the tortillas are crisp and the cheese melts.
• Baked potato topping: dice a chunk and spoon it over a baked potato and a little sour cream.
• Breakfast scramble: chop up some of the casserole and cook it in a skillet with beaten eggs and a spoonful of salsa.
• Lunch wraps: roll warmed filling into a big flour tortilla with lettuce and salsa.

Questions People Ask

How many does it serve?

A 9×13 dish will make 6 servings of this recipe.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes you can! Make through the cheese layer, then cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake. Add a few extra minutes in the oven since it will start out cold.

Why did my taco bake turn out soggy?

Usually this is due to one of two reasons- not drained enough of the liquid from the tomatoes OR not pre-baking the crust. Make sure to press out as much liquid as possible and pre-bake your crust for 6-8 minutes before assembling the rest of the taco bake.

Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?

Yes, ground turkey will work if seasoned well.

Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?

Yes you can! We recommend a full fat, plain greek yogurt- just swap in 1 for 1 in this recipe.

Do I have to use Doritos?

Doritos are my favorite, but plain tortilla chips, baked tortilla chips and even Fritos all work! Use whatever crunchy chips you have on hand!