Venison Shepherd’s Pie
Gluten Free Living – 2022
Venison Shepherd’s Pie is absolutely awesome. No kidding. I know this recipe has a lot of ingredients. I know it takes a little longer to prepare than some recipes. I also know you’re going to love it! If you’re a hunter (or have someone in your family who is), this is an incredibly delicious way to use ground deer meat (or elk, for that matter).
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I’ve never understood why some folks will spend hours in the kitchen making a fancy dessert for company, but abhor spending a few hours making dinner! This is actually one of those recipes that you can prepare the night before if you need to. Then just pop it in the oven the next day to serve for dinner. Yes, it will take you some time, but it is so worth it.
Venison Shepherd’s Pie is done in two stages. The bottom layer has meat and vegetables. The top layer has mashed potatoes, cheese, and a few other things that make it incredibly wonderful. I fill a deep-dish 9×13″ baking dish with this recipe. Normally, you would only get about 10 servings out of that size pan. But this recipe has so much volume it is very high – about 4-5 inches or so. We cut it 4×4 and got 16 decent-sized servings out of it.
We have some close friends we used to work with to host Bible study and fellowship meal gatherings for our church’s college kids a few years ago. Jeff is a hunter, so I asked him if I could have a few pounds of ground deer for recipes the next time he got a few. I made Venison Spaghetti and Meatballs and a Venison Pot Pie. Now I’m finally getting around to using up the last of the meat with this version of Shepherd’s Pie. If you’re looking for other venison recipes, try my Deer Chili.
His wife, Debra, has Celiac, so I always tried to accommodate her with recipes that wouldn’t make her sick. Venison Shepherd’s Pie is dedicated to Jeff and Debra. Two of the most amazing friends we’ve ever had. They are both so generous they would give you the shirt off their back. We loved serving along side of them.
Venison Shepherd’s Pie is a great recipe for company and family get-togethers. I made this recipe gluten free (with Debra in mind), but you can use regular flour if that’s not a concern. If you’re preparing for a potluck where you need to feed a lot of people, I can’t recommend this entree highly enough.
If you have game you’ve been wanting to use up, this is a scrumptious way to serve it. While my venison was ground, you can chop up roasts or steaks and use the meat that way too. Another great thing about Venison Shepherd’s Pie is it’s fantastic heated for leftovers. If you have a freezer full of venison or elk, why not give this recipe a try soon?
Venison Shepherd’s Pie is awesome. I served it with homemade Easy No Knead Dinner Rolls.
The mashed potato topping is so scrumptious. It’s made with two cheeses and has more cheddar cheese sprinkled over top before baking.
Every bite will knock your socks off!
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients for the meat layer. Lea & Perrin’s make a Worcestershire sauce that’s gluten free.
Cook ground deer meat, onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic in avocado oil. You can see the steam coming off part of the frying pan. 🙂
Add flour–either gluten free or regular, according to your needs.
Add salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, oregano and parsley.
Add Worcestershire sauce.
Add tomato paste mixture.
Add chicken broth.
Stir to combine.
Add frozen mixed vegetables and stir again.
Heat through until veggies are tender.
Spread venison mixture into a greased deep-dish 9×13″ glass baking dish.
I used these ingredients for the mashed potato topping.
Boil potatoes in water until soft.
Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher.
Add butter and half-and-half.
Stir ingredients until butter has melted and dissolved into the potatoes.
Add part of the cheddar cheese, all of the parmesan cheese and egg yolks.
Add seasonings.
Stir well to incorporate.
Spread mashed potato topping on top of the venison meat filling. Be sure to spread the potatoes all the way to the edges of the dish.
Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to serve, if desired.
Venison Shepherd’s Pie tasted so wonderful with my Easy No Knead Dinner Rolls.
The mashed potato topping on top of the dish is absolutely scrumptious.
Venison Shepherd’s Pie is so filling and satisfying. We loved eating this delectable main dish.
Here’s the recipe.
VENISON SHEPHERD’S PIE
(My own concoction)
Venison Shepherd's Pie
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch Oven
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- 1 stock pot with lid
- 1 colander
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 hamburger chopper
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 9x13" deep dish glass baking dish not a Pyrex baking dish because the sides aren't deep enough
- 1 potato masher
Ingredients
VENISON FILLING:
- 2 lbs. ground venison (or you can finely chop deer roast or steaks)
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 medium cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 16 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables thawed
- 1 qt. chicken broth
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin's is gluten free)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste mixed with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp. avocado oil
MASHED POTATO TOPPPING:
- 5 lbs. potatoes peeled and chunked
- water for boiling the potatoes
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese shredded, divided use
- 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 2 large egg yolks
Instructions
VENISON FILLING:
- Brown venison, celery, onion, garlic and bell pepper in avocado oil, in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Use a hamburger chopper to chop down meat into small pieces while frying.
- Cook until venison is cooked through and veggies are tender.
- Add flour and stir to combine.
- Add seasonings, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste mixture.
- Slowly add chicken broth about one-quarter cup at a time until all the broth is incorporated.
- Add thawed vegetables and cook until veggies are heated through and mixture has thickened.
- Pour into a greased 9x13” glass baking dish.
- Spread mashed potato topping on top.
- Add remaining one cup of cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 400° about 30-40 minutes, or until heated through.
MASHED POTATO TOPPING:
- Boil potatoes in water about 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Drain potatoes.
- Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
- Add butter, half and half, parmesan cheese, one cup cheddar cheese, garlic powder, pepper, salt and egg yolks.
- Stir well to combine and spoon over top of venison filling to the edge of the baking dish.
- Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheddar cheese before baking.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
If you enjoy hunting, this is a marvelous way to enjoy deer or elk.
The mashed potato topping is so cheesy and delicious.
I made Venison Shepherd’s Pie gluten free. But you can just as easily use regular flour if you don’t have dietary needs that dictate using gluten free flour.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Loaded Beef and Vegetables Shepherd’s Pie
Venison Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch Oven
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- 1 stock pot with lid
- 1 colander
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 hamburger chopper
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 9×13" deep dish glass baking dish not a Pyrex baking dish because the sides aren't deep enough
- 1 potato masher
Ingredients
VENISON FILLING:
- 2 lbs. ground venison (or you can finely chop deer roast or steaks)
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 medium cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 16 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables thawed
- 1 qt. chicken broth
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin’s is gluten free)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste mixed with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp. avocado oil
MASHED POTATO TOPPPING:
- 5 lbs. potatoes peeled and chunked
- water for boiling the potatoes
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese shredded, divided use
- 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 2 large egg yolks
Instructions
VENISON FILLING:
- Brown venison, celery, onion, garlic and bell pepper in avocado oil, in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Use a hamburger chopper to chop down meat into small pieces while frying.
- Cook until venison is cooked through and veggies are tender.
- Add flour and stir to combine.
- Add seasonings, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste mixture.
- Slowly add chicken broth about one-quarter cup at a time until all the broth is incorporated.
- Add thawed vegetables and cook until veggies are heated through and mixture has thickened.
- Pour into a greased 9×13” glass baking dish.
- Spread mashed potato topping on top.
- Add remaining one cup of cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 400° about 30-40 minutes, or until heated through.
MASHED POTATO TOPPING:
- Boil potatoes in water about 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Drain potatoes.
- Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
- Add butter, half and half, parmesan cheese, one cup cheddar cheese, garlic powder, pepper, salt and egg yolks.
- Stir well to combine and spoon over top of venison filling to the edge of the baking dish.
- Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheddar cheese before baking.