Italian Crescent Casserole

This Italian Crescent Casserole is a clever, visually impressive way to turn a few basic ingredients into a “deep-dish” style Italian pie. Using the Three Cheese Pasta Sauce adds a layer of richness that pairs perfectly with the buttery, flaky crescent crust. The “spoke pattern” assembly creates a beautiful starburst effect on top, while the bottom layer of cheese acts as a barrier to keep the crust from getting soggy from the meat sauce.

Italian Crescent Casserole

Ingredients:

How To Make Italian Crescent Casserole:

Step 1: Prep the Meat Sauce: In a skillet, combine your cooked ground beef and the pasta sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure the sauce is well-distributed. Once it bubbles, remove from heat.

Step 2: Create the Crescent Crust: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Unroll the crescent dough and separate it into 8 triangles. Arrange them in an ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate in a spoke pattern. The wide bases should cover the bottom and sides, while the narrow tips should hang over the rim of the plate by about 3 inches. Press the dough firmly into the bottom and sides to seal any seams.

Step 3: Layer and Fold: Sprinkle 1 cup of the Italian cheese blend over the bottom of the dough. Spoon the hot meat mixture evenly over the cheese. One by one, bring the overhanging tips of the dough up and over the filling toward the center of the pie. Do not overlap them too much; they should just meet in the middle to create a “window” effect.

Step 4: Final Topping and Bake: Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and the dried basil over the top of the exposed meat and dough. Bake for 20 minutes until the crescent crust is deep golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.