Taco Ring Recipe

I don't post a lot of recipes, since I don't develop many of my own recipes but use other people's.  Well, I guess the same is true of my craft projects; I borrow from other people's creativity A LOT!  I am posting this one, however, because people ask me for it all the time!

A few years ago, Pampered Chef put out a number of "ring" recipes to go along with their baking stones.  (Let me just put a plug in here:  I LOVE my Pampered Chef baking stones!)  We tried several of the recipes, and my favorite was actually the Turkey Cranberry Wreath - yum!  One year for a Super Bowl Party with about 40-50 college students, I made 8 rings, with 5 different recipes.  The Taco Rings vanished.  The Turkey Cranberry Wreaths were eaten, but no one asked for more.  The other rings did not even get half-way eaten, so I have never made any of them since.  Students hung around in my kitchen, waiting in front of the oven for the next Taco Ring to come out.  I didn't even have time to garnish the last ones with the peppers and salsa in the middle.  They just disappeared almost before they'd had time to cool down.  After a while, people in the living room asked if any more Taco Rings were coming out, and I said, no, you have to be hovering around the oven for a chance at those!  Soon I had Midshipmen asking me to make them one before they went out to sea for a few months, and they are so easy that now I make the rings for almost any get-together we attend.  I'm sure it was originally a Pampered Chef recipe, but I've seen a number of variations in different places, and I've made a few tweaks of my own.  So if you want the recipe, here it is.  But if you go to my church or are in my homeschool group, don't make it for any potlucks, because I call dibs!  J

Taco Ring

Recipe Information 
Serves/Makes: 8

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (ground turkey is less greasy)

1 - 1.25 oz package taco seasoning mix 


1 cup shredded cheese 
(I usually use one of the “Mexican Cheese Blends” in the shredded cheese section, or shredded Colby Jack.  Cheddar is also good.)

2 tbsp water 


2 - 8 oz. pkgs. refrigerated crescent roll dough 


1 med. green bell pepper 


1/2 head lettuce, shredded 


1 med. tomato, cubed 


1 cup salsa 


sour cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  Brown meat; drain; and mix in water, seasoning mix, and cheese.

Arrange crescent triangles in a circle on a 13" round baking stone, with 
bases overlapping in center and points to outside (there should be a five-inch diameter circle in center). 
Using medium stainless steel scoop (approx. 2 T) spoon meat mixture over 
rolls. 
Fold points of triangles over filling and tuck under base at center (filling 
will not be completely covered). 
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. 
Using V-shaped cutter, cut off top of bell pepper. 
Place bell pepper in center of ring; fill with salsa and a dollop of sour cream on top. 
Mound lettuce, tomato and more shredded cheese around the pepper.  
Cut and serve.  Best served hot but I’ve served it straight from the refrigerator, too.  There are seldom any leftovers no matter how you slice it!  J

A number of "Ring" Recipes, as well as details on how to arrange the rings, wreaths, and braids can be found in the Pampered Chef "All The Best" Cookbook.