beef and bean crescent pie

this recipe turned out soooooooooo good!! i even brought leftovers of it over to the in-laws for sunday lunch, and it got gobbled up! try this with some tortilla chips (i like the blue corn kind) or fritos. it's not a dip, but it pairs well with something crunchy. i couldn't believe how unbelievably easy this was or the fanfare that it received. this is a crowd-pleaser with mexican flair.

ingredients:

1 - 1 1/4 pounds ground beef

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning

1/3 cup salsa (i didn't measure. i just eye-balled it, but i probably used more like 1/2 cup.)

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (i used light and it turned out great)

1 can refried beans

2 cups Mexican blend cheese

directions:

1. unroll crescent roll dough. press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 13x9 baking dish. be sure to seal perforations.

2. in a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain the fat.

3. add taco seasoning and salsa.

4. simmer, uncovered, until thickened.

5. while the meat mixture is thickening, spread cream cheese over the dough. the recipe called for 4 ounces. i used more than that (probably 6 ounces), but i didn't empty out the container. but i probably could have. just spread it until the dough is generously covered. feel free to use all 8 ounces. :)

6. stir the refried beans into the beef mixture until warm.

7. spoon beef mixture over cream cheese layer. (i must admit, this looked kind of gross at this point, but just trust me. the outcome is great!)

8. bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

9. remove from oven. sprinkle with cheese. 

10. bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

although the middle steps look pretty disgusting, i can assure you, the end result is DELISH! as i said before, this is a crowd pleaser. it's like mexican lasagna but creamier. i also appreciate the few ingredients and little time involved. makes for a great weeknight dinner AND the leftovers taste even better. i swear! yum, yum, and yum. try it. tonight. :)

fin.