Crescent-topped Cheeseburger Casserole

My kids are notoriously inconsistent when it comes to mealtime.  I can make a dish on Monday and the kids will gobble it up.  I can make the same dish the next Monday and they will hardly eat it.  It can be pretty frustrating.  But this is one dish that (to date) they have consistently eaten pretty well every time I have made it.  I originally found the recipe somewhere online during a night of desperation when I had ground beef and pretty much nothing else and needed a quick, easy supper.  It did not disappoint, and has been added to my regular dinner time rotation.  I did have to adjust it because it doesn't make enough for my family.  Below is my adjusted recipe.

Crescent-topped Cheeseburger Casserole

2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 cup of water
1 cup of ketchup (plus more if desired)
2 Tbsp prepared mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
7 slices American cheese
1 can of crescent rolls
1 egg, lightly beaten
sesame seeds

Brown and drain the ground beef.  Combine the beef with water, ketchup, mustard, and pepper.  Pour it into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Place the cheese slices evenly over the beef mixture.  Roll out the crescents to make them fit over the beef and cheese.  Brush the egg over the crescents and sprinkle sesame seeds over top.  Bake at 375 for 18-23 minutes until beef is bubbly and crescents are browned and done.

I have found that putting the cheese and crescents on the top is the hardest part of this recipe.  The cheese melts and spreads out nicely, so leaving some empty spaces is ok.

And honestly, I don't usually roll out the crescents.  Sometimes I just stick them on there and tear off pieces and replace them to make it fit, but for picture purposes I rolled and cut this time.

And the finished product is so yummy.

 The original recipe called for chopped onion and chopped pickles to be added.  I don't like pickles, and for simplicity's sake, I don't add a step of slicing and chopping to the recipe.  You can pretty much add whatever you want to this that could fall into the 'burger' category and it would be great.  I usually serve it with green beans or peas to add a veggie, but you could easily play up the burger thing with roasted potatoes as fries, slaw, or potato salad.

Enjoy!