Taco Meatball Ring
Meet the Cook: While it looks complicated, this attractive meatball-filled ring is really very easy to assemble. My family loves tacos, and we find that the crescent roll dough is a nice change from the usual tortilla shells or chips. There are never any leftovers when I serve this at a meal or as a party appetizer! -Brenda Johnson, Davison, Michigan
Meet the Cook: While it looks complicated, this attractive meatball-filled ring is really very easy to assemble. My family loves tacos, and we find that the crescent roll dough is a nice change from the usual tortilla shells or chips. There are never any leftovers when I serve this at a meal or as a party appetizer! -Brenda Johnson, Davison, Michigan
- Carbohydrate 2.0672475004008 g
- Cholesterol 27.9560711865207 mg
- Fat 9.54153789562665 g
- Fiber 0.859512478495011 g
- Protein 6.75461617575295 g
- Saturated Fat 4.89450102173284 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (68g)
- Sodium 204.641512239454 mg
- Sugar 1.20773502190579 g
- Trans Fat 1.22948618678701 g
- Calories 120 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, water and taco seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 16 balls.
- Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400(F) deg; for 12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Drain meatballs on paper towels. Reduce heat to 375(F) deg;.
- Arrange crescent rolls on a greased 15-in. pizza pan, forming a ring with pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping.
- Place a meatball on each roll; fold point over meatball and tuck under wide end of roll (meatball will be visible). Repeat. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
- Transfer to a serving platter. Fill the center of the ring with lettuce, tomato, onions, olives, jalapenos, remaining cheese, and sour cream and salsa if desired.
Refrigerated crescent roll dough dictates the structural integrity of this arrangement, requiring precise overlap on a 15-inch pizza pan to support the weight of the filling without sagging. Dough temperature matters significantly here; keep the tubes refrigerated until the exact moment of assembly so the butter-based lamination does not melt prematurely, which causes the pastry to tear during stretching.
Forming sixteen uniform meatballs ensures even cooking through the initial twelve-minute oven phase at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Blending one cup of shredded cheddar cheese directly into the raw half-pound of ground beef provides internal binding moisture, preventing the meat from drying out before the exterior browns. Draining the cooked meatballs on paper towels removes excess grease that would otherwise make the surrounding pastry soggy.
Adjusting oven temperature down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for the second baking phase prevents the pastry points from burning before the interior dough layers cook through. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, watching for a deep golden brown color on the exterior crust before removing the pan from the oven.
Modifying this dish for dietary needs involves straightforward swaps, such as replacing the standard dairy cheese with plant-based shreds and utilizing gluten-free puff pastry in place of wheat-based crescent dough.
