Get all the zing of your favorite Italian sub wrapped in a tender, flaky crust with this easy Spicy Italian Crescent Ring recipe! Loaded with ham, pepperoni, 2 glorious melty cheeses, banana or pepperoncini peppers & roasted red bell pepper, this delicious hot sandwich is perfect for parties, tailgates, family fun nights and even a quick dinner on busy weeknights. You’re going to love serving this fun, dippable crescent ring every chance you get!
Who can resist warm, delicious crescent rolls? I can’t! They always bake up so deliciously golden with a crisp, flaky outside and heavenly soft inside! When it came time to make this Spicy Italian Crescent Ring, just the prospect of all that warm goodness wrapped around some of our favorite sandwich makings was almost more than we could bear. Making some tout suite become an A-#1 priority!
Spicy Italian Crescent Ring Sandwich Ingredients
canned crescent rolls
thin sliced ham
spicy pepperoni (or salami)
provolone cheese
mozzarella cheese
roasted red bell peppers (jarred)
pepperoncini or banana pepper rings
egg
coarse ground black pepper
How To Make The Best Spicy Italian Sub Crescent Ring
Making a sandwich crescent ring is one of those things that’s super easy to do but looks like a million bucks when finished. I love recipes like that! Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way for making the best (and one of the prettiest) sandwich rings around.
Use a pizza stone to make this recipe. A pizza stone draws moisture away from whatever is being baked on top of it, virtually eliminating any chance of soggy bottoms. That’s why I love to bake more than just pizza on mine. Just like this sandwich ring, biscuits, cookies, galettes & hand pies bake up with nice crisp undersides if baked on a good pizza stone.
A heated pizza stone bakes a crispier bottom than a cold one. Just don’t burn yourself when putting your crescent ring together!
Arrange crescents on a round pizza pan or pizza stone in a circle with the wide ends of crescent roll triangles overlapping a little in the center to form a ring and the triangle points facing outward to make the shape of a sun.
Don’t be afraid of the process. Crescent rolls are pretty forgiving. As you create your ring, don’t be afraid to gently pull or push a little on the center of your dough ring to get that pretty center circle.
Build up, not out. As you layer on the ham, pepperoni, cheese and peppers, don’t let your layers get too wide. Keep them tall, narrow and confined to the widest part of your dough ring.
Take your time. As you lay out your crescents, create your layers and wrap the ends around to seal the ring, don’t get rattled. Take your time. If a little falls out of a layer, put it back on. Use your triangle ends to catch and fold in any stray cheese or peppers. Again don’t be afraid to gently push in or pat out the outside of your ring after you’ve folded it to get the shape you want.
Use an egg wash for golden, rich color. This recipe calls for brushing 1 beaten egg (the whole egg, but you could just do the white if you liked) over the top of the crescent ring to create a beautifully browned top that’s just a touch crisp. Crescent rolls won’t achieve deep, rich color without it. Pretty ring = a good egg wash
As gorgeous as a crescent ring looks, it tastes even better! The spicy, vinegary zip of the peppers, the savory goodness of the ham and pepperoni, all wrapped in deliciously soft, warm crescent rolls. Eat just as it is; dip it in a classic ranch dressing or spicy marinara. “Hey, we’re having sandwiches!” will never quite mean the same thing again
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cans 8 count refrigerated crescent rolls
- 5 slices Provolone cheese, cut in halves
- 9 oz thin sliced deli ham
- 6 oz spicy pepperoni
- 1/2 C diced roasted red bell pepper, jarred
- 1/2 C pepperoncini or banana pepper rings
- 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- Dice enough jarred roasted red bell peppers to create 1/2 C. Measure 1/2 C pepperoncini rings. Place both on paper towel and pat dry. Place in small bowl and toss with 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper. Set aside.
- Unroll crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Arrange crescents on a round pizza pan or pizza stone in a circle with the wide ends of triangles overlapping a little in the center to form a ring and triangle points facing outward to make the shape of a sun.
- Arrange halved slices of Provolone cheese around the overlapping wide triangle end edge of your crescent ring. Top with folded ham slices, a layer of spicy pepperoni (there will be pepperoni leftover), a layer of the pepper mixture & then the mozzarella cheese.
- Bring the point ends of the triangles up and around the filling, securing everything inside and tucking points under the center of the ring to seal it. Use a brush to wash the dough with beaten egg. Sprinkle with more black pepper.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown and bottom is cooked.