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!
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/
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.