Turn Canned Tuna Into A Delicious Appetizer With A Popular Dinner Roll

Quick snacks and appetizers are always a welcome addition to a busy person's recipe arsenal. One great option, a tuna-stuffed crescent ring, incorporates fish, bread, and vegetables all in one, resulting in a super easy app that's as hearty as a main dish. One of the best parts: All the ingredients are prepackaged items, meaning no from-scratch work on your part.

The two main ingredients needed for this quick, tasty appetizer are canned tuna and packaged crescent roll dough. You can add various flavorings to the tuna, depending on the profile you're going for. Try cream cheese, mayo, or Dijon for a creamy element; diced apples, celery, and nuts for crunch; frozen or canned veggies like peas and carrots; your favorite kinds of shredded cheese; and herbs and seasonings. For other ideas, check out these simple ways to take plain tuna salad to the next level.

To create the ringed effect with your crescent dough, first unroll each biscuit into a triangle shape. Lay the triangles out on a baking sheet in a circle with the pointed ends facing out, with the bottom corners touching each other to form a ring. The result will look like a sun shape. Spread your tuna mixture across the broad ends of each triangle, then fold each point over the filling and tuck it beneath. Bake according to the package directions or until the crescents are golden brown and your filling is hot and bubbly, then slice and serve.

Tuna salad also meshes well with other readymade doughs from the supermarket — try sandwiching it between fluffy biscuits from a can, or take it in a spanakopita-like direction by wrapping it in frozen puff pastry. There are many other ways to use a crescent ring as a show-stopping dish, as well. The simple doughy base can go sweet or savory, making it ideal for just about any occasion. For a dessert slant, a fruity filling can take your crescent ring in a pie-like direction, while a cream cheese filling, nuts, and spices can give it a cinnamon roll-esque flair. Top with a simple glaze or frosting. You can keep with the simple, readymade nature of the dish by using a store-bought icing, zhuzhing it up with some methods to upgrade canned frosting.

On the savory side, serve your crescent ring up for breakfast filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, crumbled bacon or sausage, and even country gravy. Give your kids a hot snack or quick meal with ham and cheese or sloppy joe mix as your center filling. You also can take a savory pie direction, using chicken pot pie filling or some of the ingredients for the best shepherd's pie. To up the presentation even more, place an accompanying bowl of dipping sauce or other condiments at the center of the ring, filling the empty space with something much better.