Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls
This is one of those recipes that you love having handy for easy dinners year-round. Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls is easy to put together, thanks to this store-bought short-cut!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Using a store-bought biscuit dough as a simple crust for this Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls is a great weeknight shortcut. I love having recipes like this in my back pocket to get dinner on the table quickly and without much fuss.
Here's some reasons to love this recipe:
Crescent rolls are basically a miracle, at least when it comes mid-week menu planning. Its an easy dinner idea that's like a taco casserole and taco salad all rolled into one.
Ground turkey is flavored with canned green chilies, salsa and taco seasoning mix...nothing wrong with this combination!
Finished with a spoonful of cool sour cream and crunchy shredded lettuce, this is a satisfying dinner for the entire family.
For the full recipe and list of ingredients, please scroll down to the recipe card below.
Crescent Rolls: A fun twist instead of pie crust, and available in most grocery stores.
Green Chili's: The small mild or medium heat kind, chopped.
Salsa: Mild or medium, you're choice. The chunkier, the better.
Refried Beans: Just one can to make that delicious bottom layer.
Taco Seasoning Mix: Use your favorite brand from the grocery store.
Cheddar Cheese: Grated cheddar is great, but give other kinds a try. Avoid pre-shredded cheese, though (unless you're camping)...it's coated with "stuff" and doesn't melt as well.
Lettuce: There is nothing like good old shredded Iceberg.
Tomato: Just plump cherry tomatoes, sliced in half for the top of the pie.
Green Onion: Thinly sliced, for garnish and flavor.
For the full set of instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Preheat the oven and prep a 9 1/2" pie dish with a non-stick baking spray.
Unfold the crescent roll dough out and pinch the seams together, then shape it into the pie plate, tucking any stray edges underneath the edges.
Cook the turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat with the taco seasoning, green chili's, salsa and a little water until the water is absorbed.
Spoon the refried beans on the bottom of the crescent crust, top with the turkey mixture.
Add the grated cheese and top with cheese, tomatoes, onions.
Bake for about 25 minutes, garnish with shredded lettuce and sour cream or your favorite taco toppings (black olives and tortilla chips, anyone?) and serve!
Best tips for assembling this pie are:
Take the refried beans out of the can and place into a medium-sized bowl.
Mix a tablespoon of the salsa into the beans and stir it well. This makes spreading it over the dough much easier to manage and also adds some flavor to the beans.
Drop the beans in big scoops (3 or 4) onto the crescent roll dough, and then spread it carefully with the back of your spoon. We don't want the dough to tear!
Spoon the taco meat mixture over evenly, one spoonful at a time.
Use refried black beans in this recipe instead of regular if you'd like!
This is one of those easy recipes that's fun to make! Here are a couple of extra tips to make it successfully:
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and if they are on the large side, slice them again. Squeeze out most of the juice gently with your hands before adding them to the pie. Why? Extra liquid will make the pie soggy.
Always grate your own cheese from a block instead of buying pre-shredded, which is treated with preservatives so they don't clump in the plastic bag they come in. Which also means it doesn't melt as well.
When it's ready for the oven, set the dish on a large baking sheet. This makes it easier to pull out of the oven after it's baked.
Can I use a different cheese than cheddar?
Yes! Try Colby, Pepper Jack or regular Jack Cheese for variation.
Can I make this recipe in advance?
You can assemble the separate components, such as cooking the turkey step, same with the beans and you can also shred the lettuce and cut the tomatoes. Assemble the pie just before baking, though, otherwise the crust could be mushy.
How do I store the leftover pie?
Cover the cooled pie tightly with wrap like plastic or foil for up to 3 days.
Should I garnish the whole pie before serving?
Add the sour cream and lettuce garnish on each slice you serve, this way it will be easier to store any leftovers.
Can I use ground beef instead of turkey?
Sure can! Next time, swap out a pound of lean ground beef instead the ground turkey, no problem.
Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls
Here's an easy dinner recipe that has a crescent roll crust and ground turkey. Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls is a great weeknight dinner!
Course: Dinner
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
▢ 1 8 ounce tube Crescent Rolls
▢ 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
▢ 1 ¼ pounds Ground Turkey Meat See Tips
▢ 1 1.4 ounce package Taco Seasoning Mix
▢ 4 ounce can Green Chili's, diced, mild
▢ 1 ½ cups Salsa, mild or medium, chunky style
▢ ½ cup Water
▢ 1 15 ounce can Refried Beans
▢ 1 ½ cups Cheddar Cheese, grated
▢ ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half or quarters, juices removed by lightly squeezing
▢ ¼ cup Green Onion, sliced thin
▢ ½ cup Sour Cream, for serving
▢ 1 cup Iceberg Lettuce, shredded, for serving
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 375F degrees. Spray a 9 or 9.5" Pyrex pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
Remove the crescent roll dough from the tube, spread and stretch it lightly with your hands, then pinch the seams together as best you can and tuck any stray edges underneath the edges of the pie plate.
Lift the dough into the pie pan and lightly press it in to the pan, pinching any seams together and crimping the edges of the dough together as you would pie crust.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet, then add the ground turkey and cook until it's browned, then add the taco seasoning mix, the green chili's (undrained), the salsa and the water.
Mix together and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the moisture has absorbed, about 6-8 minutes.
Set aside to cool for a few minutes while you assemble the the rest of the pie.
Spoon the refried beans into a medium-sized bowl with a tablespoon of the salsa and mix together, then spread it evenly on the bottom of the pie dish onto the crescent roll crust. This will be your first layer of the pie.
Spoon the slightly cooled turkey mixture on top of the refried beans.
Top with the shredded cheese, and top with the cut cherry tomatoes and sliced green onion. Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is melted, then garnish with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
Notes
You’ll use 1 and a quarter pounds of ground meat in this recipe, which is generally the weight of pre-packaged ground turkey.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and if they are on the large side, slice them again. Squeeze out most of the juice gently with your hands before adding them to the pie. Why? Extra liquid will make the pie soggy.
Always grate your own cheese from a block instead of buying pre-shredded, which is treated with preservatives so they don’t clump in the plastic bag they come in. Which also means it doesn’t melt as well.
When it’s ready for the oven, set the dish on a large baking sheet. This makes it easier to pull out of the oven after it’s baked.