Elk Pizza Casserole
Yesterday was the opening of small game season, but due to busy schedules I wasn't able to go out looking for squirrels or rabbits. My little family has started planning out our meals a week or so in advance to avoid the last minute "what should we eat for supper?" plans where we end up getting fast food. So today, I'm making one of my childhood favorite meals, Pizza Casserole. My mom used to make this for me on special occasions, and she taught me to make it. Why is it here on my learning to hunt blog? Because today I'm making it with ELK!
No, I didn't hunt the elk, unless you count a sharp eye spotting it from across the local Farmers Market. We spent the summer finding new and different meats there and at a local store called Fresh Thyme, which has led to eating such game as elk, venison, wild boar, antelope and even yak. (And yes, the yak is surprisingly and amazingly good!) Those are stories for another day. I want to get the bulk of this written before it's done so I can get a picture of the final meal, eat, and post it!
If there's anything Midwesterners are known for, it's our casseroles. I have not been to an event yet where a casserole of some kind was absent. Now, this is a very basic recipe. I'm showing one of the easiest ways to make this. But you can make it with anything you'd usually like on a pizza and you can make it as hard or as easy as you want. The only limit here is imagination and willingness to try new things! I've done this with homemade pizza sauce, homemade biscuits, and even homemade cheese (with varying results). But until you've mastered making those (which I'm still working on) this is a quick and easy method that my family loves and doesn't require much work. I've made this with beef, sausage, pepperoni, and now venison and elk! And veggies? Yeah... if you like something on a pizza, you'll love it in here! So literally anything goes. But just as an aside, the more toppings you add, the longer you'll need to cook it.
So, here we go!
Ingredients -
1 lb ground meat. (or a good layer of pepperoni or some other sausage)
1 can of biscuits. We like the flaky original kind, but have also used other varieties, and even the pre-made pizza crust (but we like the biscuits better)
1 14 oz. can of pizza sauce. Whatever you like!
4 C of mozzarella cheese.
Veggies can be added as well. Add the things you like and you'll never go wrong!
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
1. Brown the meat. There's an excellent article by Danielle Prewitt of Wild + Whole that she wrote for Meat Eater on how to do this well.
2. Take the meat off the heat and add in the pizza sauce. There's a lot of room here for various tastes as well! I usually add a whole can for a one meat+one veggie combo. A little less if it's just the meat. Try some different things and you'll find what works best for you.
3. In a 9x13 pan, lay out the biscuits as shown and give them a little smush to spread them out a little. I used to be meticulous about pressing them out into a single, unified crust with no gaps. That also works well, but I've found that just spreading them a bit allows them to rise to their flaky best. A little anti-stick something of your choice can help a bit too. Butter, Pam cooking spray, a little wipe of olive oil or some other such does just fine.
4. Pour on the meat (and any other toppings).
5. Cover with the mozzarella. I used to use 6 cups for this, because CHEESE, but found that 4 cups cooks up the best and gets that nice golden crust on it that penetrates almost down to the meat. 6 cups is a little thick and goopy for us. I will also sprinkle a little shredded Parmesan or a smattering of cheddar or some other cheese just to switch things up.
6. Pop that sucker in the oven and let it cook at 350 for an hour. Check it, because ovens can cook a little differently. If the cheese on top is browned to your satisfaction, then it's ready to go!
7. For serving, we usually pull out a biscuit per piece, but those are pretty filling and can be cut in half for smaller appetites.
Easy-Peasy, right!?! Like I said though, this basic recipe is infinitely variable. After one or two times, you can dial in your absolute favorite. Or, like we do, just keep experimenting with different ingredients. It may not be haute cuisine, but for our Midwest winters, this is a great recipe for a nice, warm comfort meal that can take as much or as little time as you have! Leftovers reheat well, and it even tastes great cold!
If you try this, please let me know what kind you made in the comments. I'm always looking to try new things!
Good Eating, Friends!
No, I didn't hunt the elk, unless you count a sharp eye spotting it from across the local Farmers Market. We spent the summer finding new and different meats there and at a local store called Fresh Thyme, which has led to eating such game as elk, venison, wild boar, antelope and even yak. (And yes, the yak is surprisingly and amazingly good!) Those are stories for another day. I want to get the bulk of this written before it's done so I can get a picture of the final meal, eat, and post it!
If there's anything Midwesterners are known for, it's our casseroles. I have not been to an event yet where a casserole of some kind was absent. Now, this is a very basic recipe. I'm showing one of the easiest ways to make this. But you can make it with anything you'd usually like on a pizza and you can make it as hard or as easy as you want. The only limit here is imagination and willingness to try new things! I've done this with homemade pizza sauce, homemade biscuits, and even homemade cheese (with varying results). But until you've mastered making those (which I'm still working on) this is a quick and easy method that my family loves and doesn't require much work. I've made this with beef, sausage, pepperoni, and now venison and elk! And veggies? Yeah... if you like something on a pizza, you'll love it in here! So literally anything goes. But just as an aside, the more toppings you add, the longer you'll need to cook it.
So, here we go!
Ingredients -
1 lb ground meat. (or a good layer of pepperoni or some other sausage)
1 can of biscuits. We like the flaky original kind, but have also used other varieties, and even the pre-made pizza crust (but we like the biscuits better)
1 14 oz. can of pizza sauce. Whatever you like!
4 C of mozzarella cheese.
Veggies can be added as well. Add the things you like and you'll never go wrong!
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
1. Brown the meat. There's an excellent article by Danielle Prewitt of Wild + Whole that she wrote for Meat Eater on how to do this well.
 |
| Not done yet, but look at that beautiful elk! |
2. Take the meat off the heat and add in the pizza sauce. There's a lot of room here for various tastes as well! I usually add a whole can for a one meat+one veggie combo. A little less if it's just the meat. Try some different things and you'll find what works best for you.
 |
| And just like that, a different flavor of amazing. |
3. In a 9x13 pan, lay out the biscuits as shown and give them a little smush to spread them out a little. I used to be meticulous about pressing them out into a single, unified crust with no gaps. That also works well, but I've found that just spreading them a bit allows them to rise to their flaky best. A little anti-stick something of your choice can help a bit too. Butter, Pam cooking spray, a little wipe of olive oil or some other such does just fine.
4. Pour on the meat (and any other toppings).
5. Cover with the mozzarella. I used to use 6 cups for this, because CHEESE, but found that 4 cups cooks up the best and gets that nice golden crust on it that penetrates almost down to the meat. 6 cups is a little thick and goopy for us. I will also sprinkle a little shredded Parmesan or a smattering of cheddar or some other cheese just to switch things up.
6. Pop that sucker in the oven and let it cook at 350 for an hour. Check it, because ovens can cook a little differently. If the cheese on top is browned to your satisfaction, then it's ready to go!
 |
| Toasty cheese, perfectly browned elk, biscuits... what is there not to love! |
7. For serving, we usually pull out a biscuit per piece, but those are pretty filling and can be cut in half for smaller appetites.
 |
| "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid." - Han Solo |
Easy-Peasy, right!?! Like I said though, this basic recipe is infinitely variable. After one or two times, you can dial in your absolute favorite. Or, like we do, just keep experimenting with different ingredients. It may not be haute cuisine, but for our Midwest winters, this is a great recipe for a nice, warm comfort meal that can take as much or as little time as you have! Leftovers reheat well, and it even tastes great cold!
If you try this, please let me know what kind you made in the comments. I'm always looking to try new things!
Good Eating, Friends!
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