Taco pie is easy to make boasting layers of ground beef, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and cheese that’s all nestled inside a soft crescent roll crust and then baked to a bubbly golden brown.
Why this recipe works
Another ground beef recipe to add to your arsenal, this taco pie recipe is layered like a taco but baked in pie form. It’s basically a taco casserole with a crust and is a fun way to switch up taco Tuesdays.
There’s so much room for customization, so use this savory pie as a base recipe to suit your own tastebuds.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CRUST – If you don’t want to use crescent rolls, substitute with a regular store-bought pie crust.
MEAT – In place of ground beef you can use ground turkey or ground pork. Feel free to mix some rotel tomatoes, green chiles, onions, or diced jalapenos to the ground beef mixture for added flavor. I highly recommend using homemade taco seasoning, but store-bought taco seasoning works just as well.
ADDITIONS – Crushed Doritos would be a tasty substitute for the corn tortilla chips, or simply omit the chips altogether if preferred. You can add in a can of refried beans, Spanish rice, or even nacho cheese.
How to Make Taco Pie
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Brown the ground beef over medium-high heat in a skillet until no pink remains. Add in the taco seasoning and water; stir to distribute and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed and the taco meat is evenly seasoned.
- Meanwhile, in a greased glass 9” pie plate, drape the unwrapped crescent rolls over as much of the pie plate as it will cover. Use the pads of your fingers to gently press together all of the seams and spread the crescent dough to cover all of the pie plate. Trim pieces that hang over the edge and use them to fill in any empty spaces.
- Sprinkle a layer of cheese over the crescent dough in the bottom of the pie plate (about 1⁄2 cup).
- Mound the taco meat over the cheese and spread to make an even layer.
- Crush tortilla chips and spread them over the top of the taco meat – you can adjust the amount for your personal taste.
- Add spoonfuls of the sour cream over the top of the chips and use a rubber spatula to gently spread the sour cream to cover the chips.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the pie.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top pie with diced tomato and chopped lettuce. Add any additional toppings to the pie or serve alongside the pie.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven (remove lettuce before reheating).
You can prepare the taco pie up to 1 day in advance if stored in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator. Though I would suggest not adding the tortilla chip layer until you’re ready to bake. You can easily move this layer to the top, holding off on the last layer of cheese as well (so you can top the tortilla chips with cheese). Bake as normal, adding a few minutes if necessary until the crust is nicely browned. I have not tested freezing this recipe.
We have not tried making this in a 13×9 pan, but I would imagine doubling the ingredients would do the trick. You may need to extend the bake time for a few minutes, watching for when the crust is nicely browned.
The type of pie plate/pan can affect the cook time of the bottom crust – pre-baking is not necessary and will result in an overly browned crust without further adjustments to bake time/temp. But, an especially heavy pie plate may not transfer the heat to the bottom of the crust quickly enough to cook it completely. Use a clear glass pie plate so that you can visually check the bottom of the pie to make sure it is browned. Or cover the edges/top of the pie with aluminum foil if needed to finish cooking the crust.
Serving Suggestions
Kick up your taco pie a notch with a dash of hot sauce or sliced jalapenos. Some other tasty toppings include guacamole, salsa fresca (pico de gallo), sliced olives, and an additional dollop of sour cream. The toppings are fully customizable to your taste, so add whatever you’d like!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/4 cup taco seasoning or 2 packets store-bought taco seasoning. Adjust to taste
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 oz crescent rolls 1 tube. We used Pillsbury
- 8 oz grated cheddar cheese or mexican blend
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips 1-2 cups corn tortilla chips or Doritos
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tomato diced, for garnish
- 1 cup lettuce shredded. 1-2 cups for garnish
Things You’ll Need
- Skillet
- 9 inch pie pan
Before You Begin
- ** IF you use store-bought taco seasoning, follow the water measurements on the back of the packet. ** We like to go heavy on the seasoning for optimal flavor, but adjust it to your preference.
- If you prefer, tear apart the crescent rolls along their perforated lines and then place them in a circle in your pie plate, with the pointed ends facing toward the center.
- Whether you tear apart the crescent rolls or just plop the whole thing into the pie plate, you still have to squish together the seams and shuffle things around a little bit – it’s much faster to just place the whole sheet into the pie plate instead of tearing apart and then pressing back together.
- The type of pie plate/pan can affect the cook time of the bottom crust – pre-baking is not necessary and will result in an overly browned crust without further adjustments to bake time/temp. But, an especially heavy pie plate may not transfer the heat to the bottom of the crust quickly enough to cook it completely. Use a clear glass pie plate so that you can visually check the bottom of the pie to make sure it is browned. Or cover the edges/top of the pie with aluminum foil if needed to finish cooking the crust.
- The sour cream dries out some during the bake, so feel free to add extra on top for garnish.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Brown the ground beef over medium-high heat in a skillet until no pink remains. Add in the taco seasoning and water; stir to distribute and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed and the taco meat is evenly seasoned.
- Meanwhile, in a greased 9” pie plate, drape the unwrapped crescent rolls over as much of the pie plate as it will cover. Use the pads of your fingers to gently press together all of the seams and spread the crescent dough to cover all of the pie plate. Trim pieces that hang over the edge and use them to fill in any empty spaces.
- Sprinkle a layer of cheese over the crescent dough in the bottom of the pie plate (about 1⁄2 cup).
- Mound the taco meat over the cheese and spread to make an even layer.
- Crush tortilla chips and spread them over the top of the taco meat – you can adjust the amount for your personal taste.
- Add spoonfuls of the sour cream over the top of the chips and use a rubber spatula to gently spread the sour cream to cover the chips.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the pie.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top pie with diced tomato and chopped lettuce. Add any additional toppings to the pie or serve alongside the pie.
