Transform Canned Crescent Rolls Into Your New Favorite Breakfast Casserole

Canned crescent rolls are a pantry staple that people often forget about when breakfast time rolls around. Sure, they're delish as dinner rolls and handy for making popular Super Bowl foods like pigs in a blanket, but they can also be a star ingredient in your favorite breakfast casserole.

Try using canned crescent roll dough as a crust for your breakfast casserole (like in a quiche). Just unroll the dough, keeping it in one sheet rather than separating the pre-cut triangles. From there, gently press the dough into the bottom of a baking dish like you would with a pie crust. Use your fingers to seal the perforated edges and smooth out the dough's surface. Be sure to poke some holes in it with a fork so it doesn't puff up too much while baking. If you pre-bake the crust just until it sets before adding your casserole filling, this will help prevent it from getting soggy.

Another way to use canned crescent rolls in a casserole is to roll up the crescents as directed and layer them in your baking dish before adding your eggy mixture. From there, you can follow practically any breakfast casserole recipe. Not only will canned dough save you the time and effort of making your own, but you can also prepare the casserole ahead of time. That way, it's ready to bake in the morning while you wake up with a cup of coffee.

If you think using canned crescent rolls for breakfast will only work with a quiche-like presentation, think again. For example, you can swap out the bread in a strata recipe with an equal amount of torn-up or cubed crescent rolls. A strata is similar to bread pudding, but it's typically on the savory side, making it the perfect base recipe for a breakfast dish. Since this method calls for crescent rolls that are already cooked, it's a clever way to use up leftover rolls from dinner the night before. Try swapping out the bread cubes in this overnight breakfast casserole with baked crescent rolls instead. Their flaky texture and buttery flavor, combined with the fluffy egg filling, will make you wonder why you hadn't thought of it sooner.

Another delightful way to use baked crescent rolls in a breakfast casserole is to swap them out one-for-one for the bread in this French toast casserole. Alternatively, you can stuff them with fillings like cheese and bacon, ham, or sausage for a breakfast sandwich effect. Since some brands of canned crescents are vegan, you can even create these dishes using plant-based ingredients like vegan "eggs" and meat substitutes to make them vegan-friendly. Just check the ingredients on the can to determine if they're suitable for your diet. Breakfast casseroles come in countless varieties, so the sky's the limit for your crescent roll breakfast creativity.