Description
Spider Taco Ring is a fun and festive savory dish featuring a crescent roll spider-shaped ring filled with a flavorful beef and black bean taco mixture, topped with cheese, and accompanied by fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. Perfect for parties or themed gatherings, this eye-catching recipe combines familiar taco flavors with creative presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 3/4 lb. ground beef
- 1 (14.5-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tsp. chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Dough
- 3 (8-oz.) cans crescent rolls
Toppings and Garnishes
- 2 cups shredded lettuce (or more as desired)
- 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes (or more as desired)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (or more as desired)
- 2 black olives, pitted
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics and brown beef: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat vegetable oil. Add chopped onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, approximately 4 to 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat from the skillet.
- Prepare taco filling: Stir in black beans, water, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly and is heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Once cooled, stir in shredded cheddar cheese until evenly combined.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets: Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Assemble spider body: Unroll two cans of crescent rolls and separate them into triangles. Arrange the triangles on one prepared baking sheet with all points facing outward and the shortest sides overlapping, forming an empty 6-inch circle in the center.
- Add filling and fold dough: Spoon the cooled taco mixture evenly over the overlapping portions of the crescent rolls, creating a ring of filling. Fold the pointed ends of the crescent rolls over the filling and tuck them under to seal the ring. It’s normal if some filling peeks out between the strips.
- Create spider legs: Separate the remaining can of crescent rolls into triangles. Fold the tip of each triangle inward by 1 inch, then roll each triangle up from its longest side to create a thin rod about 7 inches long. Arrange these rods on the second prepared baking sheet in a wide ‘V’ shape to resemble spider legs. Repeat this process with remaining crescent rolls to make a total of eight legs.
- Bake spider ring and legs: Place the spider body on the lower oven rack and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Simultaneously bake spider legs on the upper rack until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Assemble and garnish spider: Transfer the spider body to a serving platter. Insert four legs on each side of the body by placing them upright between the crescent roll strips. Fill the center of the spider body with stripes of shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and sour cream. Place black olives into the sour cream stripes to resemble eyes. Serve additional lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream on the side if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to let the taco filling cool before adding the cheese to prevent it from melting too early while assembling.
- Use parchment paper on baking sheets to avoid sticking and for easy cleanup.
- For a milder flavor, reduce the chili powder to 2 teaspoons or substitute with paprika.
- Substitute ground turkey or chicken for ground beef as a leaner option.
- Olives can be replaced with small pieces of black beans or sliced black grapes for eyes if preferred.
- For a gluten-free version, crescent rolls can be replaced with gluten-free dough, but baking time may vary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
