Taco Crescent Bake

I can’t believe I waited this long to share this easy weeknight casserole. My family loves it and it’s super easy to make with leftover taco meat.

Why This Casserole Works

• The buttery crescent dough makes an amazing casserole base. It holds everything together so you can pull out perfect squares of casserole when it’s done.
• The middle layer of sour cream adds moisture and prevents this casserole from being too dry. It’s the perfect amount. Not enough to make the casserole spongy but just enough to keep everything moist and flavorful.

How This One Started

One Wednesday night we had leftover taco meat from Tuesday’s tacos and I was looking for a way to serve tacos again that wouldn’t be an exact duplicate of Tuesday’s meal. My family was thrilled when I pulled the finished product out of the oven and they’ve been requesting them by name ever since.

We liked them so much better than the original tacos. Now when I make tacos on Tuesday, I intentionally make enough for this casserole the next night.

What to Know Before You Start

• This one-pan, 40-minute casserole comes together quickly and tastes incredible. It’s a favorite of mine to serve for a casual weeknight dinner.
• Press the seams of the crescent roll dough really well otherwise it’s going to seep apart when you add the toppings and everything will fall apart when you pull the casserole from the oven.
• Add the crushed chips during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. That way they’ll be nice and crispy. If you add them sooner than that, they’ll steam and get soft.
• Drain the moisture out of your canned diced tomatoes. I usually put them in a strainer and press them with a spoon to get as much of the liquid out as I can. Leaving too much of the liquid in can make the casserole a bit too wet.

What Goes In

2 cans of crescent roll dough

2 to 3 cups of cooked taco meat. This is perfect for leftover taco meat.

Ground turkey tastes great in this recipe if seasoned well.

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 cup sour cream

• 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained well

2 cups shredded cheese – Cheddar, Colby Jack or a Mexican Blend work great

1 to 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips – We like nacho cheese flavored Doritos, but plain tortilla chips are fine

Taco Seasoning

Use a packet of taco seasoning, maybe even a tad more. Season your taco meat well and give it a taste before assembling.

Seasoning will be impossible to fix during baking. The meat is the main source of seasoning in this recipe.

How to Make Taco Crescent Bake

Preheat your oven to 375°F and spray a 9×13 baking dish.

Cook up your seasoned ground beef according to the directions on your taco seasoning packet. Use about 2-3 cups.

Taste your taco meat to make sure it’s seasoned to your liking. This will be difficult to fix during cooking.

The meat is the main source of seasoning in this dish.

Unroll your crescent rolls and lay them across the bottom of your 9×13 pan. Pinch seams together.

We found that if you pinch the seams together and repair any rips in the dough, it’s easy to form an unbroken layer of crescent dough.

Optional (but highly recommended): pre-bake the crust for 6-8 minutes before adding anything. If you’re in a rush, skip it; it’ll just result in a slightly softer crust.

Add your cooked and seasoned taco meat. Add your sour cream while it’s warm.

It’s easy to spread into an even layer since the meat is warm. Next, add your tomatoes.

Make sure they’re well-drained. We love the texture and flavor of diced tomatoes here but feel free to use tomato sauce if you have picky eaters that don’t like the chunks.

Add shredded cheese to your dish, making sure you get it all over every inch of the pan. That way, everything will melt together perfectly.

Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and the edges start to bubble. Crush some tortilla chips (we love the nacho cheese flavored Doritos) and save them for later.

Add crushed tortilla chips and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden. If you add the chips at the beginning of baking, they’ll be more likely to get soggy.

Let sit for about 5 minutes and enjoy. We found that giving this casserole just 5 minutes after removing from oven gives it a chance to tighten up making it easier to scoop up a nice square of everything.

Substitutions and swaps

Meat: A can of black beans, drained, plus a can of corn, drained, seasoned well with taco seasoning is another option I’ve seen that sounds yummy. It’s filling and flavorful and saves money.

Dough: The crescent rolls are traditional but I’m sure pizza dough would work well. Use a thin-pressed dough and cut into similar sized rectangles to use.

You could probably roll out or press some canned biscuits together for this as well.

Chips: I love the Doritos brand nacho cheese chips the best, but use whatever chips you have on hand. Other seasoned chips work well, Fritos, tortilla chips, etc.

You want something with some crunch.

How It Keeps and Make-Ahead Notes

It keeps well refrigerated up to 3 days, tightly covered. When ready to reheat, I recommend warming in a 350°F oven rather than the microwave for best results.

Add some more chips before serving if you miss the crunchy factor.

You can make this dish up to adding the shredded cheese and keep it refrigerated. Add the chips when ready to bake and add additional baking time as needed since it’ll be starting out cold in the oven.

You can also cook and season the meat a day ahead and make the casserole right away.

Four Ways to Use What’s Left

Crispy Taco Quesadillas – Spoon leftover filling into a frying pan and cook until warmed through. Place the meat between two flour tortillas and cook until crispy, cheese melted.

Baked Potato Toppers – Bake potatoes, top with sour cream, spoon over a square of this casserole chopped up for a tasty meat, sour cream and cheese topping.

Taco Bakes and Eggs – Combine some of the casserole, chopped, with beaten eggs in the same frying pan with some salsa for a yummy and easy breakfast.

Lunch Tortillas – Spoon some warmed up casserole into a large flour tortilla, top with lettuce, salsa, etc. Roll up for an easy lunch to take along.

A Note on the Baking Dish and Seasoning

Use a lidded glass 9×13 pan – Glass pans seem to cook the dough in these more evenly. It also can be used to cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator.

I’ve made these in metal pans, but the edges of the rolls seem to brown and burn quicker. A lidded casserole pan is ideal.

Choose a taco seasoning – There are so many taco seasoning options out there, it’s hard to know which are tasty, not too salty and pack a flavor bomb. Two favorites include Old El Paso’s original taco seasoning (shown here) and this recipe for homemade.

This Siete seasoning is another option I’ve seen that’s supposed to be really flavorful.

How to Make It Lighter

Can you use turkey instead of beef in this recipe?

Yes! We often use ground turkey in our ground beef recipes.

Make sure to season it well. I promise you’ll never know there’s turkey in these tacos once it’s mixed with all of the other ingredients and baked together with melted cheese and sour cream.

Can I use Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream?

Yes, plain, full-fat Greek Yogurt is an amazing stand-in for sour cream and tastes just as tangy and creamy. Plus it spreads perfectly over crescent rolls.

Can you use different kinds of cheese?

I like the melty-ness of the Mexican blend better, but really use whatever you have on hand. It can be made with reduced-fat shredded cheese as well.

Can you use something besides Doritos?

For this recipe I’d recommend using baked tortilla chips. We love the flavor of Nacho cheese Doritos but use whatever crunchy salty snack you’ve got in your pantry.

Plain tortilla chips work great.

Taco Crescent Bake FAQ

Can you make ahead?

You can prepare this taco bake up to the addition of shredded cheese and refrigerate covered. Add chips just before popping in the oven.

You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time since it will be starting out cold.

Why is my taco bake soggy?

To prevent a soggy bottom to your taco bake make sure you’ve drained your tomatoes well and consider giving the crescent rolls a jump-start by baking them for about 6-8 minutes. This way they’re completely set before you add the meat mixture.

This extra step isn’t required, especially on busy weeknights, but they’ll be a tad firmer and hold their shape better for neater slices if you’re entertaining.

Can you freeze Taco Crescent Rolls?

They’re perfectly good, but not nearly as tasty since the crescent roll texture will be a bit softer and the chips will have lost their crunch. For the best results eat leftovers within 3 days.

Other Easy Dinners Worth Making This Week

• Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
• Layered Taco Dip
• Crockpot Ravioli Casserole
• Crockpot Lasagna
• Spaghetti Casserole