Ground Bison Pasta - Easy weeknight dinner coming your way! This tasty recipe is made with ground bison, tomato sauce, onion, and Italian seasonings. So Good!
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Ground Bison is a tasty, low fat protein that is an excellent substitute for ground beef in any recipe. Be sure to check out our Ground Bison Chili or Instant Pot Mexican Casserole for inspiration. And don't miss our other easy weeknight dinners like Classic Carbonara!
Ground Bison Pasta
Recently, we were craving pasta and needed an easy weeknight dinner option. So, I pulled out a frozen brick of ground bison and made this quick and easy pasta recipe with a few simple ingredients. Super easy and tasty! Have dinner ready in 30 minutes!
As Featured In:
- 10 Best Ground Bison Recipes - Check it out! Our Ground Bison Pasta was featured in this ground bison recipe roundup from InsanelyGoodRecipes.com.
- 25 Best Ground Bison Recipes - Also featured in this recipe roundup from Drizzle Me Skinny.
Here's What You Need
ground bison - Usually sold in vacuum sealed package in the meat section of the grocery store.
This recipe will work well with any other ground protein that suits your preference, like the following:
- beef
- turkey
- venison - for the hunters out there!
- pork
- Italian sausage
tomato sauce - Choose the best tomato sauce without added additional flavors.
Italian seasoning - We use our Homemade Italian Seasoning Recipe for here! It's super tasty and easy to make. Give it a try!
Making the Sauce
- Have the Pasta Water Simmering Before You Begin. Bison Pasta is super quick and easy to make. So, make sure you have your well-salted (should taste salty like the sea) pasta water heated to a low boil before you start. I usually put in a palm full of kosher salt into 8 quarts of water. You'll begin cooking the pasta once the sauce has started simmering.
- Dice and Sauté Onion:Dice a small onion and sauté it in a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until just translucent.
- Add Ground Bison and Brown. Next, add 1 pound ground bison, along with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper. Break up the meat and mix it in with the sautéed onions until meat is browned. Taste the meat at this point to make sure that it is well seasoned. It should be tasty!
- Add Tomato Sauce, Seasonings and Simmer. Now, stir in the tomato sauce and Italian Seasoning and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cook The Pasta. Toss the pasta into the water right after you have the sauce simmering. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Approximately 8-10 minutes. Try to time the pasta so that you don't have to drain it when it's done. Ideally, it's best to transfer the pasta directly from the water to the sauce using a slotted spoon.
- Taste Test and Adjust Seasonings. After the sauce has simmered for 10 minutes, it's time for another taste test and to adjust the seasonings as necessary.
- Add the Cooked Pasta to the Sauce. When the pasta is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer it directly from the water into the simmering sauce, bringing with it some of the starchy pasta water. The starchy pasta water is the secret flavor booster for Italian sauces! It's also a great way to loosen a sauce that is too thick. So, always reserve a cup just in case it comes in handy!
- Finish the Sauce. Final step is to turn off the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. Finishing a red sauce with cold butter will reduce the acidity of the tomatoes and smooth out the texture of the sauce.
- Serve Immediately or Save for Later. Enjoy this easy weeknight meal right away, or separate into meal-prep containers and freeze.
Recipe Tip
Have the pasta water ready before you begin making the sauce.
Bison Pasta is super quick and easy to make. So, make sure you have your well-salted (should taste salty like the sea) pasta water heated to a low boil before you start. I usually put in a palm full of kosher salt into 8 quarts of water. You'll begin cooking the pasta once the sauce has started simmering.
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Bison FAQs
Bison meat is leaner than beef. It has fewer calories, more protein when compared with beef, making it a frequent choice of athletes and health conscious consumers.
Bison tastes very much like beef, but milder and somewhat sweeter, making it an easy substitution in recipes calling for beef.
Bison is really versatile and goes well with many of the common seasonings you have on hand like Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, or Rosemary. Good rule of thumb: If you would use a spice with ground beef, then give it a try with Bison as well. You might like it!
Make Ahead Meal Prep
Ground Bison Pasta is a great meal prep idea you can make ahead and freeze to pull out later for that easy weeknight dinner. We love to use these convenient restaurant storage containers.
We hope you enjoy our super simple, super tasty ground bison recipe for Bison Pasta. Try it and let us know how you like it in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you!
xo ~ Seanna
Substitute Ground Bison In These Recipes
More Ground Bison Recipes
- Ground Bison Chili - Less fat than ground beef but with all the flavor you love.
- Bison Meatballs - Ground bison recipe for the best bison meatballs and gravy. Tasty comfort food that is a healthy alternative to ground beef.
- 10 Best Ground Bison Recipes - Check out this Bison Recipe Roundup from InsanelyGoodRecipes.com featuring our Ground Bison Pasta Recipe.
- Best Ever Bison Burger - from Delish.com.
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📖 Recipe
Ground Bison Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 32 oz tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons salted butter cold
- 1 lb pasta
Instructions
- Have the Pasta Water Simmering Before You Begin. Bison Pasta is super quick and easy to make. So, make sure you have your well-salted (should taste salty like the sea) pasta water heated to a low boil before you start. I usually put in a palm full of kosher salt into 8 quarts of water. You'll begin cooking the pasta once the sauce has started simmering.
- Dice and Sauté Onion: Dice a small onion and sauté it in a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until just translucent.
- Add Ground Bison and Brown. Next, add 1 pound ground bison, along with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper. Break up the meat and mix it in with the sautéed onions until meat is browned. Taste the meat at this point to make sure that it is well seasoned. It should be tasty!
- Add Tomato Sauce, Seasonings and Simmer. Now, stir in the tomato sauce and Italian Seasoning and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cook The Pasta. Toss the pasta into the water right after you have the sauce simmering. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Approximately 8-10 minutes. Try to time the pasta so that you don't have to drain it when it's done. Ideally, it's best to transfer the pasta directly from the water to the sauce using a slotted spoon.
- Taste Test and Adjust Seasonings. After the sauce has simmered for 10 minutes, it's time for another taste test and to adjust the seasonings as necessary.
- Add the Cooked Pasta to the Sauce. When the pasta is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer it directly from the water into the simmering sauce, bringing with it some of the starchy pasta water. The starchy pasta water is the secret flavor booster for Italian sauces! It's also a great way to loosen a sauce that is too thick. So, always reserve a cup just in case it comes in handy!
- Finish the Sauce. Final step is to turn off the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. Finishing a red sauce with cold butter will reduce the acidity of the tomatoes and smooth out the texture of the sauce.
- Serve Immediately or Save for Later. Enjoy this easy weeknight meal right away, or separate into meal-prep containers and freeze.
Video
Lisa M says
Plan on trying this recipe tomorrow. I’ve got some fresh mushrooms I need to use up. Do you think those would go well in this dish?
Seanna Borrows says
Absolutely! Mushrooms would be a great addition! I'd add thinly sliced mushrooms in with the onions and cook them with some salt and pepper till they're soft and a little browned (caramelized). Hope you enjoy!
Moonbat_One says
Very tasty, quick and easy. It will become one of my staples.
Seanna Borrows says
Great to hear Kelly! So glad you like it!
Eli says
Can I use Marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce for the recipe?
Seanna Borrows says
Absolutely! It'll be delicious.
Kate U says
The Bison Pasta dish was a HUGE hit with my son-in-law and his hockey teammates! Definitely a winner!
Seanna says
Awesome to hear! Bison is a great lean protein choice for athletes. Easy recipe for the guys to make, too!
Kristen Greazel says
I had some bison in the freezer and this pasta was a great recipe!
Seanna says
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
Ryan says
recipe doesn't say when to put in the Italian seasoning but I assume after you add the pasta to the sauce?
Seanna Borrows says
You're right! Add Italian Seasonings in step 4 with the tomato sauce. I had it in the title of step 4, but it looks like it got deleted somehow from the text instructions. Thanks for letting me know! Corrected thanks to you! 🙂
Kristina says
This was amazing! My family loved it.
Seanna says
Thanks Kristina! I'm so happy to hear!