Italian Meat Bars

Spicy and flavorful italian meats in a soft, chewy and rich pastry crust. A favorite in our house and often requested for pot-luck gatherings, especially around the holidays! I got this recipe from a coworker years ago who just gave me general directions, and have spent a few years refining it.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 8-12
• Yields: 24 bars

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) cans  crescent rolls
• 2  eggs
• 1⁄4 cup  grated parmesan cheese or 1⁄4 cup romano cheese
• 3⁄4 lb provolone cheese
• 1⁄4 lb  pepperoni
• 1⁄4 lb  salami
• 1⁄4 lb  capicola
• 1⁄4 lb mortadella
• 1⁄4 lb prosciutto

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Spread 1 roll of crescent rolls over bottom of the greased 13 x 9 pan in a sheet, spreading slightly if necessary.
3. Layer half of provolone cheese, overlapping.
4. Create 1 layer of each italian meat, slightly overlapping, in the order of your choosing.
5. layer the rest of the provolone over the italian meats.
6. Unroll the other can of crescent rolls over the top, spreading slightly if necessary. Don't worry if it doesn't completely cover everything, they'll puff during baking.
7. whisk together eggs and grated parmesan cheese.
8. Using a pastry brush, brush ENTIRE MIXTURE over the top. You can pour it into the edges and corners if you like as well.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Cool and cut into bars, or along the triangles of the crescent dough for sandwiches.
11. The meats in the recipe list are merely suggestions. I use whatever happens to be on sale when I go to the grocery store, but always use at least pepperoni, salami and capicola.
12. Amount of meat can be adjusted based on personal preference.
13. Instead of bars, you can also cut along the triangles from the crescent rolls and make 8 sandwiches instead.