Can I prep these ahead of time?

Absolutely! Make the sausage and cheese filling up to three days in advance and store tightly covered in the fridge. When ready, just assemble and bake. You can even pre-roll the crescents, chill them on the sheet, and pop them in the oven right before serving.

What if I can’t find Rotel brand tomatoes?

Any brand of diced tomatoes with green chilies will do. Just make sure to drain them as instructed. You might want to add a small pinch of cayenne or diced fresh jalapeño if your substitute variety is on the mild side.

How do I make these even healthier?

Use turkey sausage, low-fat cream cheese, and reduced-fat crescent rolls. You won’t lose an ounce of flavor! Sneaking in finely chopped veggies is an easy way to add more nutrition.

Can I make these in advance for a party?

Definitely! Bake them earlier in the day, then warm in a low oven just before guests arrive. They’re also tasty at room temperature, so you won’t have to stress about keeping them piping hot.

Rotel Sausage & Cream Cheese Crescents Recipe

Description

Rotel Sausage & Cream Cheese Crescents are savory, bite-sized appetizers made with a creamy and flavorful sausage filling, wrapped in flaky crescent roll dough. This quick and easy recipe combines cooked breakfast sausage, smooth cream cheese, and spicy Rotel tomatoes with green chilies for the perfect blend of textures and tastes—ideal for parties, gatherings, or an indulgent snack.

Ingredients

Scale

Filling

1 (1-lb) roll breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
1 (10-oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained very well

Dough

2 (8-oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

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Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC) to ensure it is ready when the crescents are assembled and ready to bake.
Prepare Filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage, softened cream cheese, and well-drained Rotel tomatoes and green chilies. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly incorporated for a creamy, spicy filling.
Prepare Dough: Unroll the crescent rolls and separate them into triangles. Using a pizza cutter, cut each triangle in half lengthwise to create two smaller triangles. This will help form bite-sized crescents.
Assemble Crescents: With a small cookie scoop, spoon the sausage filling onto the wide end of each triangle. Gently roll up each triangle, starting from the wide end and rolling toward the point, to enclose the filling inside the dough.
Bake: Arrange the crescents on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a nonstick surface. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the crescents are golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Drain the Rotel tomatoes very well by using a colander and squeezing out excess liquid with paper towels to prevent soggy crescents.
Turkey sausage can be substituted for pork sausage for a lighter option.
Pulsing cooked sausage in a food processor ensures a finer texture and better incorporation with other ingredients.
Low-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat crescent rolls can be used as healthier substitutes with no noticeable difference in taste.
The sausage filling can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days before assembling the crescents.
Using a pizza cutter helps to easily cut crescent triangles in half.
A small cookie scoop makes portioning the filling quick and easy.
These bites are delicious served hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bite
Calories: 90
Sugar: 1g
Sodium: 210mg
Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 2.5g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 6g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 3g
Cholesterol: 15mg