Taco Braid

This is another Pinterest recipe and I absolutely love it!  It looks complicated, which translates into "impressive" if you serve it to guests.  But I promise, it's not complicated at all.

1 lb. ground meat (chicken, beef, turkey...whatever)

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/2 small onion, diced

1 (15oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can Rotel or salsa

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 roll of crescent dough

Your favorite taco toppings: shredded lettuce, taco sauce, sour cream, black olives, avocado or guacamole, diced tomatoes...etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large skillet brown the meat and onion together.  Add the taco seasoning according to package instructions.  To the meat add the can of black beans and the can of Rotel.  Stir until heated through.  Set aside.

 

 

On the parchment lined cookie sheet, spread out the entire can of crescent dough and pinch together the perforated seams to make one long piece of dough.  Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into strips 1 inch apart and only a couple of inches long.  You don't want to cut the dough completely across, just a little bit.

Place the meat mixture down the middle of the dough (like in the top picture).  Top the meat mixture with cheese.  Lots of glorious cheese.  And then, like in the picture, begin to fold the crescent strips over the meat mixture; pinching the ends together to seal the braid.

Place the taco braid in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow the taco braid to "rest" for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

It should look something like this when you're done.  I like to serve it with all of our favorite taco toppings.