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This Crescent Roll Taco Bake is an easy family dinner made with flaky crescent roll dough, seasoned taco beef, and lots of melty cheese. It’s everything you love about taco night baked into one delicious casserole!
Love taco flavors? Then you’ll also love these Cheesy Taco Sticks and Taco Spaghetti!
Why you’ll love this taco bake with crescent rolls!
Tex-Mex dinners are always a winner and this crescent roll taco bake is certainly no exception! It takes all those Tex-Mex flavors we love and loads them into a casserole dish with a buttery crescent rolls for an easy, delicious family meal.
Crescent roll dough goes on the bottom and top, and between them you’ll layer seasoned ground beef, veggies, and cheese. The entire dish is topped off with lettuce and sour cream for a tasty taco dinner that’s sure to please everyone at the table. (Yep, even your picky eaters!)
- Perfect Family Dinner: Even picky eaters love the cheesy taco filling wrapped in buttery crescent roll dough.
- Quick and Easy: Simple pantry ingredients and minimal prep make this perfect for busy weeknights.
- Easy to Customize: Add your favorite taco toppings or swap ingredients to make it your own.
- Great for Leftovers: It reheats beautifully, making lunch the next day just as delicious.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Refrigerated crescent roll dough – Try this Crescent Roll Cheesecake recipe too!
- Vegetable oil – Used to cook the beef and vegetables.
- Lean ground beef – Using lean ground beef keeps the crescent roll crust from soaking up a lot of excess grease.
- Onion – Any kind will work here.
- Green bell pepper – If you’re not a fan of green peppers, use red, yellow, or orange. Use chopped jalapenos for a spicy crescent roll taco bake.
- Rotel diced tomatoes – These add a nice little kick to the filling!
- Taco seasoning – Use a store-bought packet of taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning. Choose your spice level based on your personal preference!
- Shredded cheddar cheese – Freshly shredded cheese melts beautifully, but pre-shredded works too.
- Romaine or iceberg lettuce – Adds fresh crunch after baking.
- Sour cream – The perfect cool, creamy topping.
Variations
- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for the filling.
- Or, use your favorite plant-based meat or refried beans to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Add guacamole, salsa, black olives, crushed tortilla chips, diced tomatoes, and other toppings.
- Swap the shredded cheddar cheese for a Mexican blend or pepper jack.
- Make a crescent roll taco bake with cream cheese for an extra decadent game-day appetizer. Simply spread about 1/2 cup of softened cream cheese over the bottom layer of crescent rolls then make the recipe as directed.
How to Make Crescent Roll Taco Bake
- Assemble: Press one sheet of crescent roll dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Start layering: Spread the taco filling evenly over the dough.
- Make it cheesy: Sprinkle cheese evenly over the meat mixture.
- Bake: Top with the second sheet of crescent roll dough. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crescent roll topping is golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Crescent Roll Taco Bake with Mexican cauliflower rice, refried beans, Mexican corn, tortilla chips and salsa, or a simple green salad. It’s also delicious with homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, queso, or fresh avocado slices.
Storage + Freezing
- To Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Wrap the baked casserole tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave or reheat the casserole in a 350°F oven until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — prep the beef ahead and assemble before baking; leftovers reheat well.
Ground beef is classic, but turkey, chicken, or a plant-based crumble all work.
A taco bake is layered/scooped from a dish; a taco ring wraps the filling in crescent triangles arranged in a ring — see my Taco Ring recipe.
All your taco favorites — lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, cheese, olives, green onion.
More Tex-Mex Dinner Ideas
Dips & Dressings
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Appetizers & Snacks
Sheet Pan Nachos
Soups and Salads
Doritos Taco Salad
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Crescent Roll Taco Bake
Equipment
- 13×9 Baking Dish
- large saucepan
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes 10 ounces each
- 1 ounce taco seasoning
- 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough 8 ounces each
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
To serve:
- ½ cup romaine or iceberg lettuce shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the inside of 13 x 9 baking with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.Nonstick cooking spray
- In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until hot and it begins to shimmer. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel-lined plate.2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 pound lean ground beef, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- In the same pan, sauté the onion and bell pepper over medium high heat until tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.½ onion, 1 green bell pepper
- Stir in the tomatoes, taco seasoning and beef, heat until warmed throughout. Set aside.2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes, 1 ounce taco seasoning
- Unroll one can of the crescent roll dough into the baking pan, gently stretching into the sides of the pan.2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
- Gently spoon the beef mixture over the dough. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Unroll the second can of dough over the cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until heated throughout and the top begins to turn golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lettuce, sour cream, or toppings of choice.½ cup romaine or iceberg lettuce, ½ cup sour cream
Notes
- Drain the beef well so the crust stays crisp, not soggy.
- Seal the crescent seams for a solid base.
- Let it set a few minutes before serving.
This is one of my favorite easy weeknight meals year-round! So good!
Can you prep this ahead of time and bake later?
Does the crescent roll on the bottom get baked enough? Guess I’m surprised it would become soggy..? I’m hoping not bc I wanna make this tonight:)
The bottom cooks nice and brown, use a slotted spoon to scoop the meat mixture onto the bottom crescent roll that will minimize the liquid. Just made this and it was yummy.
Thank you! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi do u drain the tomatoes..or use the juice and all thanks
Use all the juice in the pan with beef to heat thoroughly then when done scoop out mixture with slotted spoon.