Lean Crescent Taco Pie

I regularly receive emails from Pillsbury, and after seeing a yummy one for a Crescent Taco Bake, I decided to buy the few (missing) ingredients I needed. I made some modifications, like I normally do, to make this a bit healthier/lighter and added a couple of ingredients I thought would increase the tasty factor; however, you can omit these if you choose. This is a good basic recipe which can be suited to your own preference, if you have a favorite way to make tacos. Feel free to add jalapeños, beans (refried or black), onions, etc.

Ingredients

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 lb. lean (at least 90%) ground beef
3/4 cup salsa (I use medium heat)
2 tbsp. taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)
1/2 can Rotel Mexican Lime & Cilantro (optional)
1 cup light shredded Cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce, (optional)
Diced tomato, as desired
Black olives, as desired
Avocado slices/cubes (optional)
Greek yogurt (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 9-inch square pan or 10-inch pie plate; press over bottom and up sides to form crust. (I had some overlapping, so removed and threw away some of the dough.)
In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in salsa, Rotel (if using) and taco seasoning mix; simmer 5 minutes.
Spoon meat mixture in crust-lined pan; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 18 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted.
Serve topped with diced tomato, black olives and lettuce (if desired), and avocado and plain greek yogurt on the side.

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Unsloppy Joes

I saw a commercial a few days ago for Pillsbury Grands Biscuits and this recipe, and knew I had to try it since Sloppy Joes were a staple when I was growing up (thanks Mom!). I still love them, but nowadays, I make them from scratch… most of the time. If I’m pinched for time, or simply being lazy (it happens), then I turn to my trusted Manwich Sloppy Joe sauce. With that being said, this old-school recipe taken to a new level, uses the canned sauce so it can prepared in a flash, which makes it perfect for a weeknight or when time is of the essence.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for an additional way to make these 🙂

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef, cooked, drained
1 can (15 oz) Manwich sloppy joe sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated biscuits
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz)

Directions

Heat oven to 375° F.
In large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain.
Stir in sauce and chili powder; simmer 5 minutes.
Cut biscuit in half and press bottom into 6-inch round.
Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture and about 1 tbsp. cheese onto center of each round.
Take top half of biscuit and press it out so it’s approximately the same size as the bottom, and place over filling; press sides to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 9 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

* If you want it saucier, use only 3/4 lb. beef. To add a little heat, if you so desire, add a skosh of cayenne pepper to the sauce. Also, feel free to add a bit of onion and/or garlic powder while cooking the beef.

Another idea, which I think is really cute & just came up with, is making this a muffin. Simply cut the biscuit in half, spread the dough out enough so when you put it in the muffin tin, the sides go up to the top, then fill with sloppy joe and top with some cheese.

If you have any leftover Sloppy Joe, put it into muffin cups, stick the pan in the freezer until frozen, remove from pan, place into a ziplock bag & return to freezer. Each frozen sloppy joe “muffin” should be equivalent to a single serving when defrosted and reheated.

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Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I made these a while back, and remembered how tasty they were so decided to make them again. Apparently, they’re very similar to those served at Red Lobster, but I haven’t eaten there in years so can’t compare. However, I just informed by a friend, that there’s a Red Lobster very close to me… which I drive by everyday to and from work. Pretty funny that I didn’t remember that. But, now that I know, I will definitely be popping in to check out their infamous biscuits. Anywho, if you like garlic, cheddar & biscuits, then you’ll surely enjoy these.

Ingredients

Biscuits:

1 1/4 cups Bisquick
2 tbsp. cold butter
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Little less than 1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

Butter Glaze:

1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease or line one cookie sheet with parchment; set aside.
Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter (or use 2 forks). Don’t worry about mixing too thoroughly; there will be small chunks of butter in the mix about the size of peas.
Add cheddar cheese, milk, garlic powder, and Old Bay.
Mix by hand until combined, but don’t over mix.
Drop 1/4 cup portions of the dough onto cookie sheet.
Bake for 11-13 minutes in preheated oven or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
While the biscuits are baking, melt butter is a small bowl in the microwave.
Stir in garlic powder and dried parsley flakes.
Use a brush to spread the garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits.

This recipe makes about 6 biscuits. Double the ingredients if you want more.

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