Crescent Topped Italian Casserole

Would you like a recipe for an easy, delicious casserole? This is a nice casserole for pot luck dinners, quick weeknight dinners, and even a nice dinner for entertaining. It is hearty and filling for a cold winter evening, or for filling what seems like the bottomless pit of a teenage boy's stomach. GoodMan and I took this casserole over to our son and daughter-in-law's log cabin in the woods. Unfortunately the lighting at their house is not the best for photography, but take my word for it, this casserole tastes great and looks appetizing on the plate.

I made this casserole at my house and then took it to the log cabin. This is how I got it ready to go...

I got these items together: 2 pounds of lean ground beef, 1 package of dry spaghetti seasoning, 1-15 ounce can of tomato sauce, 1 onion (3 cloves of garlic I forgot to put on the tray), sour cream, (mozzarella cheese I forgot to put on the tray) Parmesan cheese, and Pillsbury Recipe Creations Crescent Dough.

I started by browning the ground beef with the chopped onion and garlic on top of the stove.

When it was browned I made sure to drain, baby, drain...look at all the fat and moisture that was drained off!

Really, check this out...this is the fat and moisture I drained off the meat. And that was ground round which is pretty lean...If you're ever inclined to just skip the drain-baby-drain step...DON'T!

I put the meat back in the pan and added the tomato sauce and powdered spaghetti seasoning and then stirred and simmered everything for about 5 minutes. This is very thick and not very saucy.

I took the pan off the stove and stirred in 3/4 cup of sour cream. This gives the sauce a creamy pink color.

I poured the meat sauce into a 9x13 glass pan (remember ~ it is very thick) and sprinkled 2 cups of mozzarella cheese to cover the top of the meat sauce.

Next, I covered the top of the cheese with the crescent dough, sprayed it with buttery spray (like PAM) and sprinkled grated Parmesan cheese on top.

After baking it for 30 minutes at 375 degrees I pulled it out of the oven...see how golden the crust is? Notice the bubbly edges...Yum!

See the difference in the lighting? I wish I could show you how it looks in regular light...but again, take my word for it...it doesn't look quite so GOLD!
More softly golden with a rosy meat layer and a gooey white cheese layer. It cuts nicely into squares and tastes wonderful with a side salad or steamed vegetables.

Here is the official recipe for Crescent Topped Italian Casserole:

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1- 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 package dry spaghetti sauce mix
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups mozzrella cheese, shredded
1 package Pillsbury Recipe Creations Crescent Dough
PAM buttery spray
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

In a pan on top of the stove, brown ground beef with onions and garlic. Drain.
Add tomato sauce and dry sauce mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream.
Pour meat mixture into a glass 9x13 pan. Top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with the crescent dough. Spray top with buttery spray and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

What is the taste tester's bottom line?
This is a tried-and-true recipe for our family. I've made this one for many years. I think I originally got this recipe from a sports potluck I attended when my older boys were in high school...that makes it almost 20 years old...Wow! Where has the time gone?

The bottom line: Keep this in the menu-plan rotation about once a month and keep it in mind for potlucks. It's a good casserole when you want to take a meal to someone.