Comforting, cozy Bolognese meets lean venison in this delicious, easy dinner recipe. Venison is a healthy, high protein alternative to other ground meats and takes on a variety of seasoning and aromatics beautifully. In this classic Bolognese dish, it becomes a rich, deeply savory meal with a bit of Italian seasoning, canned tomatoes and salty Parmesan.
Sauté, combine, serve over pasta and enjoy!
Venison Bolognese
| Yield |
|---|
| Serves 4 |
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10 min | 33 min | 43 min |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 pound spaghetti, or your favorite pasta shape
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
- Chopped fresh parsley, or dried parsley, for garnish (optional)
Method
- Heat oil in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in venison and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of well salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water.
- Add pasta and Parmesan bolognese and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan and serve.
This recipe was produced with contributions from Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH), Pennsylvania’s official venison donation program. HSH coordinates the processing and distribution of of donated deer meat from wild game hunters and municipal herd reduction sources to over 5,000 food banks, soup kitchens and organizations statewide. HSH donates over 250,000 pounds of venison per year, providing 1.2 million servings to Pennsylvanians facing food insecurity.
- Photo and recipe: Dish Works
