This crescent roll taco bake is easy to make with crescent roll dough, seasoned ground beef and gooey cheese then baked and ready in 45 minutes. It’s pure comfort food!
If you’re looking for new taco Tuesday ideas that are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, try taco casserole, Mexican lasagna and taco braid, too!
Table of Contents
Taco Bake Recipe
This Pillsbury crescent roll taco bake will definitely win over your family! Serve this Mexican-inspired recipe with a side of easy Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice and you have the perfect weeknight meal!
Just like crescent roll pizza and this chicken crescent rolls recipe, my taco bake with crescent rolls uses a quality shortcut to save time in the kitchen!
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple comfort food. In this fuss-free casserole, refrigerated crescent roll dough is topped with ground beef, cheese, and chilis then baked to golden perfection.
- Quick and easy. Ready in 45 minutes or less makes this taco bake with crescent rolls the ultimate weeknight dinner for when you’re in a hurry.
Recipe Ingredients
You just need a few simple ingredients easily found at your local grocery store to make this taco bake.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Refrigerated crescent rolls: These are the ones that come in a tube and are found in the refrigerated section. You could also use crescent roll sheets.
- Ground beef: I use at least 80/20 which means 80% meat and 20% fat. The fat content helps to keep the taco meat juicy after its cooked.
- Chunky salsa: I like to use chunky as it’s less watery than regular salsa.
- Taco seasoning mix: You can make your own taco seasoning, or use a packet of taco seasoning from the store.
- Cheese: Freshly shredded cheddar cheese if our preference but Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese work great, too!
- Toppings: Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, green onions, cilantro, and avocado slices are all great choices!
How to Make Crescent Roll Taco Bake
Make this easy taco bake in no time at all by following the steps below!
- Unroll crescent dough. Open up your tube of refrigerated crescent dough and press it into an ungreased casserole dish. Remember to press the seams together with your finger and smooth the dough over the bottom and up the sides of your dish.
- Cook beef. Cook the beef in a large skillet for 8 – 10 minutes, then drain the excess grease. Stir in the salsa, taco seasoning, and green chiles and simmer for 5 minutes. Enjoy the amazing aroma!
- Bake. Spoon meat mixture over the crescent roll crust and sprinkle top of the meat with grated cheese. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden.
- Serve. Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving it with your favorite toppings.
Tips and Variations
- Don’t forget to pinch the crescent roll dough triangles together so you cover the seams. This will help prevent holes in your dough as it bakes.
- Loosely tent your dish with foil if it looks like the taco bake with crescent rolls is browning too quickly before it’s cooked all the way through.
- Meat: Lighten things up with some lean ground turkey breast or ground chicken. Ground pork would also be a great option.
- Beans: Add some canned and rinsed black beans to the ground beef mixture or add a layer of refried beans to bottom of the casserole like I do in taco pie!
Extra Toppings
If you like to serve it on top of tacos, you can use it to top this casserole! Try these favorites:
- Pico de gallo
- Homemade guacamole
- Corn
- Diced peppers
- Sliced green or black olives
- Pickled jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
- Crushed Doritos or tortilla chips
Recipe FAQs
If you are planning on cooking it the same day and just need to meal prep for a busy night, you can assemble the crescent roll taco bake and store it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it later that day.
You can also cook the ground beef topping and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. This way all you have to do is assemble the casserole and bake it.
Store your leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, cover the dish loosely with foil and warm them in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes until they’re heated through. You can also use your microwave to warm individual portions. Heat them on medium power in 30-second intervals until heated throughout. This will take a minute or two.
Yes, you can keep taco bake leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw and follow reheating instructions.
More crescent roll inspired recipes include this crescent roll breakfast casserole, pigs in a blanket and cinnamon crescent rolls.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
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Crescent Roll Taco Bake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls (8 count)
- 1 pound ground beef (at least 80%)
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- 2 Tablespoons (1-ounce package) taco seasoning mix
- 1 (4.5-ounce) can green chiles , optional
- 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can sub 1 cup pepper jack cheese)
Optional toppings: Shredded lettuce, Chopped tomatoes, Salsa, Sour cream, Cilantro and Avocado slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Unroll the crescent dough and separate into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 9×13 baking dish. Press over bottom and up sides to form crust. Press the seams together and press the edges up the sides if excess.
- In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. Drain any excess grease. Stir in salsa, taco seasoning, and green chiles, if using. Simmer 5 minutes. Spoon evenly over crust. Top with cheese.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Let cool a few minutes before serving with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Beef, Casseroles, Dinner, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Super Bowl
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This was so easy to make and it turned out amazing.
I am so glad you enjoyed it Kristen!!
The crescent rolls in this bake was everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
It’s pure comfort food and a hit for taco Tuesday. The dough was flaky, the beef was full of flavor and a lot of cheeseee! The kids loved it!
how to print the recipe?
Hi Lorie! On the recipe portion you can select the print option and it will pull up a recipe card you can print :)
We love Mexican food at home and this was a recipe that’s so worth doing! It was delicious, easy to make and I stored the leftovers, they were still super good the next day!
So glad you enjoyed the crescent roll take bake!
So easy to make and perfect to mix up taco night! Even my picky son loved it!