Weeknight Taco Braid

Weeknight Taco Braid – our go-to Taco Tuesday recipe! Super simple to make and tastes great! Only 6 ingredients – crescent rolls, ground beef, taco seasoning, salsa, black beans, and shredded cheese. Top the braid with your favorite taco toppings. Serve with beans and rice or a salad. Everyone gobbled this up and both went back for seconds. Add this to your menu ASAP!

Originally posted February 25, 2010

taco crescent roll braid topped with lettuce tomatoes and jalapenos with text overlay

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Crescent Roll Taco Braid

I’ve been making this Weeknight Taco Braid for as long as I can remember. It is one of our all-time favorite Mexican recipes. Crescent rolls stuffed with taco beef, black beans, and melted cheese. YUM! All you need is some chips, salsa, and guacamole, and you are set! We gobbled this up and both went back for seconds. This is a great twist to our usual taco night. Add this easy dinner recipe to your menu ASAP! It is sure to be a hit with your family too!

taco meat and cheese on top of crescent rolls

How to Make Weeknight Taco Braid

This dish is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Start with browning some ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain excess grease. Add taco seasoning, salsa, and black beans. Simmer for a few minutes and remove from the heat. Unroll a can of crescent rolls onto a piece of parchment paper.

Press into a large rectangle, sealing the perforations if using rolls. Spread ¾ of the taco meat down the center of the dough. Top with shredded cheese.

Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut 10 wide strips on each side of the dough. To braid, lift strips of dough across the mixture to meet in the center. Continue alternating strips to form a braid.

Bake on a baking sheet for 20 minutes – until lightly browned. Remove the braid from the oven and top with the remaining taco meat mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake the braid for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crescent rolls are golden brown.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for ground beef.
    • This is a great way to use up any leftover taco meat.
  • I prefer to use a sheet of crescent dough instead of crescent rolls.
    • Can substitute a can of refrigerated pizza dough for the crescent rolls.
  • You can make the taco filling ahead of time and assemble the braid when ready to bake.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
  • Our favorite store-bought salsas are Mateo’s, Kylito’s, Pace Picante Sauce, and Pace Restaurant Style Salsa. I find them at Walmart.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa: https://www.plainchicken.com/superior-grill-salsa/
  • Feel free to throw in some corn, chopped onion, or chopped bell peppers into the meat mixture.
  • I like to save a little of the filling and spread it on top of the braid while it is cooking. Cook the braid first and the extra filling on top during the last 10 minutes of baking. You can skip this step if you prefer and put all of the taco filling and cheese inside the crescent rolls.
slices of taco crescent braid with lettuce and tomatoes

What to Serve with Beef Taco Bread

Top the braid with your favorite toppings. We like taco sauce, romaine lettuce, diced tomato, and jalapeños. It is also great with some olives, sour cream, more salsa, and a drizzle of Jalapeño Ranch. Serve the braid with some refried beans and rice or a salad for a delicious homemade fiesta. This is sure to be a big hit!

Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this easy Mexican recipe:

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The BEST Guacamole

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taco crescent roll braid topped with lettuce tomatoes and jalapenos with text overlay

Weeknight Taco Braid

Yield: 4 people
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Weeknight Taco Braid – our go-to Taco Tuesday recipe! Super simple to make and tastes great! Only 6 ingredients – crescent rolls, ground beef, taco seasoning, salsa, black beans, and shredded cheese. Top the braid with your favorite taco toppings. Serve with beans and rice or a salad. Everyone gobbled this up and both went back for seconds. Add this to your menu ASAP!

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Brown ground beef in skillet until no longer pink. Drain fat and return to pan. Add taco seasoning, salsa, and black beans.  Cook for 5 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
  • Roll out crescent rolls vertically on the baking sheet, do not separate. Seal perforations.
  • Spread ¾ of the taco meat down the center of crescent rolls. Top with 1½ cups of cheese.
  • Cut 10 strips on each side of the dough. To braid, lift strips of dough across the mixture to meet in the center. Continue alternating strips to form a braid.
  • Bake for 20 minutes – until lightly browned.
  • Remove braid from oven and top the braid with remaining taco meat mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake the braid for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crescent rolls are golden brown.

Notes:

  • Can substitute ground turkey for the ground beef.
  • I prefer to use a can of the crescent sheet dough instead of crescent rolls.
  • You can make the taco filling ahead of time and assemble the braid when ready to bake.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning made with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa: https://www.plainchicken.com/superior-grill-salsa/
4 jars of salsa on the countertop
  • Our favorite store-bought salsas are Mateo’s, Kylito’s, Pace Picante Sauce, and Pace Restaurant Style Salsa. I find them at Walmart.
  • Feel free to throw in some corn, onions, or peppers into the meat mixture.
  • I like to save a little of the filling and spread it on top of the braid while it is cooking. Cook the braid first and the extra filling on top during the last 10 minutes of baking. If you put it on top before baking, the dough won’t cook all the way through.

Steph

Remember this recipe.

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taco meat and cheese on top of crescent rolls with text overlay

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Comments

  1. We have been making the Pampered Chef Taco Ring for years, but I like that you added the Rotel before you baked it. Also just an idea for everybody, but we also do chicken instead of the ground beef!

  2. Sounds great, Steph… I love Mexican food also—so this one would be neat to make! Thanks!

    We're having a wonderful time in Arkansas–but it's passing by too quickly. The weather has been great considering the fact that it is snowing at home.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

  3. I am thinking…..
    I have everything chorizo to use tonight and I could do this with the chorizo.

    Great looking idea, I like the braid technique.

  4. Lea Ann – I know what you mean. Tex-Mex is everywhere here. There aren't a lot of authentic Mexican places to eat. Mexican food does gets a bad wrap, but I love Tex-Mex too!

  5. Looks good as always Steph. Mexican restaurants serving authentic South of the border cuisine is usually a much healthier and fresher option. It's our Tex-mex resturants that serve us all of that ooey-gooey delicious fattening stuff that really doesn't resemble true Mexican food much. (soap box time)

  6. That looks so good, I almost want to lick my screen. Great job and I'll bet better than anything from a restaurant. I'm like you and usually full on chips and salsa when my meal arrives.

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