This bison shepherd’s pie is tasty and satisfying. While the traditional version uses ground lamb or beef, we’re using bison for a fresh flavor. There’s no crust on this pie, so prep is easy peasy!
The classic shepherd’s pie traces back to Great Britain, way back to the 1700s or earlier. This vintage dish was originally known as cottage pie, but nowadays, especially in the US, the term shepherd’s pie tends to be more common.
As British colonists came to the US, the recipe followed, and shepherd’s pie has landed on the dinner table for many a Southerner, as well as other folks across the country. This casserole-style meal is a comforting dish that will appeal to anyone who loves Southern cuisine!
Notes on the Bison Shepherd’s Pie
Sure, you can substitute the bison meat with the traditional ground beef or lamb, or even ground turkey, pork, or chicken. But I think you’ll want to try this meat out, as the bison’s flavor works so well with this dish. Bison has a bit of a lighter and more delicate flavor than beef, and is a hint sweeter.
To make the prep quick and easy, frozen peas and frozen carrot are called for in the recipe. But you can certainly boil up fresh veggies to use instead. Or you could even use canned veggies if you’re in a pinch.
Fresh diced onion and diced tomato are a couple more veggie choices that are delicious additions to this recipe. You could also stir in a few tablespoons of tomato paste into the bison mixture.
Your baking dish should be about 9″ x 9″ for the recipe’s quantities.
Topping Your Shepherd’s Pie
The mashed potatoes need to be prepared super-creamy and soft to nicely spread over the ground meat, so blend them well and add plenty of milk. Here’s an easy recipe for potatoes that will come out pretty smooth. Definitely add more milk if you find you need to. But if you want to be quick about it, grab your favorite boxed mashed potato mix, and go for it. It works well for the topping when you don’t have a lot of time.
Another substitution option for the mashed potato is mashed cauliflower, which is great for keeping the dish low-carb. And there are other recipes that do a mashed sweet potato topping, but I can’t say I’ve ever tried that version. (I do love sweet potato, but as a shepherd’s pie topping it might be a tad sweet!)
Colby jack cheese tastes great with this recipe, but cheddar, Mexican blend, or your favorite cheese can be used instead. The cheese is used as a mix-in with the bison as well as the final topping.
We hope you’ll enjoy our Bison Shepherd’s Pie recipe!
Check out these recipes here for other comforting casseroles that you’ll love.
Bison Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground bison
- 1 1/2 cup shredded colby jack can sub with cheddar
- 2 cups mashed potato
- 1/2 cup diced carrots frozen
- 1/2 cup peas frozen
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp creme fraise can sub with 2 tbsp sour cream plus 1 tsp butter
Instructions
- Prepare your mashed potatoes.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- On your stovetop, begin browning the ground bison in your skillet with the Italian seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder. Add in the frozen carrots and peas. Stir in the creme fraise and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook until the meat is browned.
- Pour the meat and vegetable mixture into your baking dish. Gently spread the mashed potatoes over the top. Then top the mashed potatoes with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
