By the time Friday rolls around I usually want something fast and easy for dinner, but it still must taste good and be (relatively) healthy.  Frequently it’s pizza that turns up, because I can vary the toppings so we don’t get bored with the same old same old.

Last Friday I came up with this baked dish that resembles a deep-dish pizza pie.  It uses a package of refrigerated crescent rolls for a crust and is filled with grated cheeses and a ground beef and tomato sauce mixture that tastes like pizza.  The top gets nicely browned and flaky with a sprinkling of cheese and dried basil.  It makes a 9-inch “pie” that can feed 4, but we loved it so much, just two of us ate three quarters of it.  The rest made a quick lunch the next day by rewarming in the oven on low.  This dish served with a tossed green salad is all you need for a complete and satisfying meal.

ITALIAN CRESCENT CASSEROLE

Yield:   serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup garlic-tomato pasta sauce
• 1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1  1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375*F.  In a large skillet, cook ground beef till nicely browned.  Drain off fat drippings.   Add pasta sauce.  Heat oven medium heat to warm through.

2.  Separate dough into triangles.  Place in an ungreased 9-inch pie plate with narrow ends extending out over the edge of the pie plate about 3 inches.

3.  Use fingers to press dough together to form a crust.  Sprinkle  1 cup of cheese over the dough.

4.  Spoon meat mixture over the cheese in the pie plate.

5.  Bring tips of dough over the filling towards the center.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the dried basil.

6.  Bake at 375*F.  for 15 – 20 minutes

SOURCE:   Real Mom’s Kitchen