Crescent roll taco bake is going to be your family’s new favorite dinner! Soft, buttery crescent roll dough is baked with zesty taco meat, lots of cheese, and all your fave Tex-Mex toppings—perfect for an easy weeknight meal!
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Pin RecipeTex-Mex dinners are always a winner, whether it’s Taco Stuffed Shells, Taco Casserole, or classic Quick & Easy 20-Minute Tacos. 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 making an irresistible easy dinner.
This crescent roll taco bake recipe is an easy and delicious family meal. It’s made with layers of crescent roll dough on the bottom and top, a flavorful taco ground beef mixture, veggies, and cheese. The entire dish is then 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!)
Easy Crescent Roll Taco Bake Recipe
The combination of the buttery crescent rolls, savory meat filling, melty cheese, and flavorful toppings makes this taco bake an unforgettable dish. The crescent roll crust becomes golden brown in the oven while the beef mixture cooks through with the cheese to create a new twist on taco night. Just like tacos, you can customize this crescent roll taco casserole to fit your personal tastes. Add more cheese, mix in some chopped jalapenos or serve the taco bake with some guacamole. You just can’t go wrong!
With minimal effort and maximum flavor, crescent roll taco bake with ground beef is sure to become your family’s new favorite meal. It’s great for an easy weeknight dinner, a game-day gathering, or even as a quick potluck recipe. Plus it comes together quickly, with easy, everyday ingredients. We love that!
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Ingredients For Crescent Roll Taco Bake
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Refrigerated crescent roll dough
- Vegetable oil
- Lean ground beef – Using lean ground beef keeps the crescent roll crust from soaking up a lot of excess grease.
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 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
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Romaine or iceberg lettuce
- Sour cream
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
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 375ºF, and coat the inside of 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook the beef: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Once 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. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Cook the vegetables: In the same pan, sauté the onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat until they’re tender and just beginning to brown.
- Finish the filling: Stir in the tomatoes, taco seasoning, and beef. Once everything is heated through, remove the skillet from the heat.
- Assemble: Unroll one can of the crescent dough into the bottom of the pan, gently stretching it into the sides of the dish. Spoon the ground beef mixture over the dough. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the filling, then unroll the second can of dough over the cheese.
- Bake: Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Quick Tip
While the casserole rests, you can wash and chop the lettuce and prepare any other toppings. Make some homemade guacamole, or try my refried bean dip which is always tasty on Taco Tuesday!
How to Store Leftover Crescent Roll Taco Bake
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then heat in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through, or about 20 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this crescent roll taco bake alongside a green salad, steamed vegetables, or a side of Mexican corn or Mexican cauliflower rice for an easy meal.
FAQs
Unfortunately, Pillsbury does not make gluten-free crescent rolls. If you want to make this dish gluten-free, you’ll need to make your own gluten-free crescent roll dough.
You can substitute ground turkey for the beef, reduce the amount of cheese used, or use the crescent roll dough for the top or the bottom crust instead of both.
Literally anything you put on a taco can go on your taco bake! Guacamole, salsa, queso, cilantro, green onions, avocado, olives—the possibilities are endless.
More Tex-Mex Dinner Ideas
Lunch
Cheesy Taco Sticks
Recipes
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Appetizers & Snacks
Sheet Pan Nachos
Recipes
Taco Soup Recipe
Soups and Salads
Doritos Taco Salad
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 10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes
- 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, 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
To doughy.
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.