Bison Bolognese Recipe

My bison bolognese is a family favorite. It is a rich tomato-based meat sauce made with ground bison instead of ground beef, filled with flavorful spices and chunky tomatoes. I love to serve it over linguine pasta with freshly torn basil from my garden.

I like to make a big batch of the meat sauce at the beginning of the week and reheat it throughout the week with fresh pasta for easy lunches and dinners. I have been super busy with work lately and having a meal already made in the fridge that I can just add to linguine is a huge life saver. 

Key Ingredients for this bison meat sauce

All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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Ground bison

Bison is buffalo meat, it is a very lean and healthy red meat. It is grass-fed and pasture-raised with less fat than ground beef. The taste is pretty similar to ground beef, I like it a lot more, but my family doesn’t really taste a difference. If you don’t have ground bison, feel free to substitute it with ground beef if you like!

Onions and Garlic

A staple in any tomato-based sauce. I like to cook my onions until they just start to turn brown before adding in the ground meat because they start to caramelize and add a lot of flavor to the meat sauce. 

Dried herbs and spices

The key to the best meat sauce is adding a lot of seasonings. Dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, cayenne pepper, all-purpose seasoning, and a couple of bay leaves all add wonderfulness to this sauce! 

Tomato sauce

 I use a plain tomato sauce with no seasonings or addictives. 

Chicken broth

Homemade chicken broth adds sooo much flavor to this sauce, but if you don’t have any broth, I have used just water and it was totally fine!

Chopped tomato 

I love adding fresh tomato to my meat sauces because it adds a little bit of chunkiness to the sauce and a fresh tomato flavor. 

How to make the best bison bolognese

Step 1. On medium heat, add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to a medium-sized skillet. Add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until they are translucent and start to turn brown, 3 - 5 minutes. 

Step 2. Next, add the ground bison, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, ground paprika, all-purpose seasoning, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Cook until the meat is well browned, 10 - 12 minutes. Then add in the minced garlic. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant, stir so it doesn’t burn. 

Step 3. Add the tomato sauce. Cook, it covered for 1- 2 minutes to get rid of the bitterness that canned tomatoes can have, then add in the bay leaves, chicken broth, and chopped tomato. Stir and cover. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer., then cook the meat sauce for 30 minutes. 

Step 4. Boil linguine pasta according to package instructions. Serve meat sauce over pasta with freshly torn basil. Enjoy!

Kitchen Items You Might Need For This Recipe

Garlic press

Sharp knife

Cutting mat

Stainless skillet

Frequently Asked Questions

Does bison taste like beef?

Yes, bison tastes very similar to beef. I prefer it over ground beef, but others don’t taste a difference. 

What seasonings are good with bison?

You can use the same seasonings with bison that you would use with ground beef. Some of my favorites are dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme, ground paprika, and minced garlic. 

Looking For More Recipes?

How to make tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes

The best lasagna ever

Homemade pasta dough

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Ground beef enchiladas with homemade red sauce

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