Venison Burrito Rice Bowls - A Quick Dinner Idea

Venison Burrito Rice Bowls feature seasoned ground venison over rice, topped with all your favorite toppings for a quick, easy dinner the whole family will love.

I cook an awful lot of venison here in our Fargo kitchen. After years of developing wild game recipes, I’ve learned that ground venison is often the easiest doorway into cooking deer meat, especially for someone who's never done it before. There's no roast to coax into tenderness and no steak to worry about overcooking. But because venison is so lean, you still need to treat it with a little care.

This venison burrito bowl recipe is a great choice for an easy weeknight family dinner. The meat cooks quickly in a hot skillet, then gets a little moisture from water and salsa. Bell pepper and corn bring sweetness and texture, while the cilantro-lime rice underneath catches all those seasoned juices.

Best of all, this is the kind of dinner that gets my wife, Melissa, our 11-year-old daughter, Lucia, and me around the table on a busy weeknight. Everyone can build a bowl exactly how they want it, which is particularly useful when feeding a family.

How to Make a Venison Rice Bowl

The most important thing to remember when making this venison rice bowl is that ground venison contains far less fat than the ground beef many home cooks are accustomed to using.

Therefore, start with a hot skillet and a tablespoon of olive oil. Once you add the venison, don't immediately fuss with it. Break it into small pieces, but then let those pieces sit against the hot surface for 30 to 45 seconds at a time. That direct contact encourages browning.

Listen as you cook. You want a lively sizzle when the venison hits the skillet. If liquid begins pooling around the meat and the sound becomes subdued, the meat is steaming rather than browning. Give it more time against the hot pan.

Meanwhile, pay attention to the rice. Once it comes to a boil, cover it, lower the heat, and leave the lid alone. Every peek releases steam. After cooking, let the rice rest for 5 minutes before fluffing it with a fork. Then add the cilantro and lime. That final squeeze of citrus makes an enormous difference, lifting what might otherwise be a rather ordinary bowl of venison and rice.

An Easy Ground Venison Rice for Busy Families

I am particularly fond of recipes like this after a long day because dinner doesn't require half the kitchen.

While the rice cooks, you make the venison mixture. Then everything meets in a bowl. More importantly, you can set the toppings on the table and let everyone take over from there.

That is half the pleasure.

Lucia can build hers one way. Melissa can build hers another. I can add sliced jalapeños to mine without subjecting everyone else to my preferred level of heat. Suddenly, dinner becomes a small activity rather than something I simply put in front of everybody.

There is also something particularly satisfying about serving a deer you harvested this way. We hunters spend an extraordinary amount of time thinking about the hunt itself, but the greater reward comes months later when you pull a package of ground venison from the freezer and turn it into Tuesday night's dinner.

Tips for the Best Venison Rice Bowls

• Brown the venison instead of steaming it. A large skillet gives the meat room to spread out and make contact with the hot surface. Once it does, leave it alone for short stretches before stirring.
• Keep the pepper slightly crisp. Two minutes in the skillet followed by the short simmer softens the diced bell pepper without surrendering all of its texture.
• Watch the consistency. After adding the water and salsa, simmer until the venison mixture looks moist and glossy, not soupy. You want those seasoned juices clinging to the meat, corn, and peppers rather than collecting at the bottom of the bowl.
• Fluff the rice gently. A fork separates the grains without crushing them. Fold in the cilantro and lime rather than vigorously stirring everything together.
• Let everyone finish their own bowl. One of the pleasures of a venison bowl recipe is contrast. Something creamy alongside something crisp and something spicy makes every forkful a little different.

Venison Burrito Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• ½ fresh lime

Venison

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground venison
• 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 packet (about 3 tablespoons) taco seasoning about 3 tablespoons
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup mild or hot salsa

For Serving

• Your choice of toppings, such as guacamole, sour cream, sliced jalapeños, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, or additional salsa

Instructions

• Cook the rice. Add the rice, water, and salt to a small (1.5 quart) saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir well, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes. Resist the temptation to keep lifting the lid. The trapped steam is doing useful work. Brown the venison. While the rice cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground venison and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. Let the meat sit against the hot skillet for stretches of 30 to 45 seconds before stirring so it has a chance to brown rather than simply steam.
• Add the vegetables and seasoning. Add the diced bell pepper and frozen corn and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat and vegetables, then add the water and salsa. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen any browned bits.

• Simmer until saucy. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is moist and glossy rather than watery. The bell pepper should be tender but retain a little bite. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Finish the rice. Uncover the rice and gently fluff with a fork. Add the cilantro and squeeze the juice from half a lime over the top. Gently fold everything together so the grains stay light and separate rather than compacting.

• Build the bowls. Divide the cilantro-lime rice among four bowls and spoon the hot venison mixture over the top. Then comes the fun part: pile on whatever toppings you like. I like something creamy, something crisp, and something with a little heat, so guacamole or sour cream, cherry tomatoes, and sliced jalapeños make a particularly good combination. Serve immediately.

More Ground Venison Recipes

If you enjoyed this venison pizza recipe, and are looking for more great ideas on how to cook with some of that ground venison in your freezer, be sure and check out these family favorites:

• Italian Quesadillas
• Venison Egg Rolls in a Bowl
• Deer Meat and Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
• Venison Queso Dip
• Venison Tater Tot Casserole

Come Deer Hunting in North Dakota

If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.

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