Venison Bolognese is a rich, zesty sauce of ground venison, onion, celery, carrot, and seasonings all simmered on the stove until thick and rich. Toss this with pappardelle or your favorite pasta for a delicious weeknight meal.
Pappardelle with Venison Bolognese: A Wild Game Twist On A Classic Italian Dish
Looking for a hearty, flavorful dinner that’s a little different? Try my Pappardelle with Venison Bolognese. This wild game twist on the traditional Italian Bolognese is packed with rich, savory flavors. It’s a perfect way to use ground venison, making a satisfying and delicious meal in less than 1 hour and 30 minutes. While it’s not a super-quick dish, it’s much faster than the typical 3-hour Bolognese recipes.
Why Ground Venison Recipes
Ground venison recipes are a game-changer. Most of us have deer, elk, or moose burger in our freezers. It’s the go-to meat for so many wild game lovers. This Venison Bolognese is a great venison pasta recipe that will become a new family favorite for weeknight dinners. It’s simple, flavorful, and packs a punch. Once the sauce is done, it's easy to quickly pour it over some cooked pappardelle or other pasta for a quick meal. That's just what I need on an evening full of taking our 10-year-old daughter to gymnastics or piano lessons.
What Is Venison?
Some of you might not be hunters, and you may be asking: What is venison? Is it just deer meat? Venison comes from the Latin verb venari, meaning “to hunt.” It refers to the meat of any wild game animal, but these days it most often refers to deer meat. Venison can also include elk, caribou, moose, bighorn sheep, and even exotic animals like nilgai and oryx. So yes, venison is deer meat, but it's much more than that too.
Bolognese Sauce (Ragu alla Bolognese)
Authentic Bolognese Sauce (or Ragù alla Bolognese) is a classic Italian sauce made with ground beef, pancetta, tomato sauce, and mirepoix (onion, carrots, and celery). Since I have a freezer full of deer meat, I use ground venison (100% deer burger) in place of the beef. For those of us living in smaller towns across the United States where pancetta isn’t always available, I substitute bacon. The smoky bacon flavor adds an extra layer of richness to the sauce, making this Venison Bolognese truly special
Venison Bolognese With Other Wild Game
Don’t feel limited to just venison pasta! I’ve made this recipe with duck, Canada goose, and even cottontail rabbit. If you’ve got wild game in the freezer, use it! This Venison Bolognese Sauce works wonderfully with any ground wild meat you have on hand
Venison Pasta For A Weeknight Dinner
As a bachelor, I used to make big batches of Bolognese sauce and freeze it for later. You never know when a meat sauce emergency might strike - especially at 2:00 a.m. after getting home following a grueling 12-hour shift at a restaurant! Now that I’m married with an 10-year-old daughter, I’ve learned the importance of having a good Bolognese recipe on hand. After picking up my daughter from school, I can reheat the Venison Bolognese sauce, cook the pasta, and have dinner ready in just 15 minutes. This makes feeding a hungry family easy, and I still have time to get her to rock climbing class.
How To Serve Pappardelle With Venison Bolognese
You can use this Bolognese sauce on fresh pasta, dry pasta, pizza, or even lasagna. But if you’re making pappardelle with Bolognese, don’t forget the garlic bread! It’s perfect for soaking up every last drop of sauce. And of course, always bring grated Parmigiano cheese to the table for everyone to sprinkle on top.
Simmering Time: The Debate
Many Italians argue that a truly great Bolognese sauce needs to simmer for 2 to 3 hours. If you’re in the mood for a slow-cooked meal, go ahead and let your sauce simmer all afternoon. But if you're like me and need a quick dinner, this venison pasta dish can be ready in about half the time. I’ve made sure this recipe is fast enough for busy weeknights without sacrificing the flavor.
Pappardelle: The Perfect Pasta For Bolognese
Pappardelle is a wide, flat pasta that originates in Tuscany. It’s perfect for pairing with rich, hearty sauces like Venison Bolognese. The large surface area of pappardelle allows the sauce to cling to each ribbon of pasta, making every bite deliciously satisfying. While pappardelle originated in Tuscany, its popularity has spread across Italy, and today you can find it everywhere. It’s especially perfect for winter months, making this dish ideal for the long cold days we often have here in North Dakota.
How To Make Pappardelle With Venison Bolognese
1. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook the bacon for about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside. To the Dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the bacon grease. Then add the mirepoix of onion, celery, carrots, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring vegetables until onion becomes translucent.
2. Add ground venison, minced garlic, another ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Crumble the meat with a wooden spoon, stir well and cook until the venison has lost its raw, red color, about 3 minutes.
3. Crumble the reserved bacon and add it back to the Dutch oven with the half and half and let it simmer gently over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely, about 5 minutes. Add nutmeg and stir.
4. Add the beef broth and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at a lazy simmer, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.
5. When the sauce has about 15 minutes left until done, bring a pot of water to a full boil. Salt boiling water and add the pappardelle pasta to pot, stirring to separate the noodles. Boil gently for 12 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. Drain and discard the water.
6. To the sauce add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cooked drained pasta. Toss until pasta is well coated and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.
More Ground Venison Recipes
I hope this Pappardelle with Venison Bolognese Recipe becomes a new favorite for you. If you are looking for more dinner inspiration, check out more of our family favorites you can pull off using some of that ground venison in your freezer:
Best Ever Venison Cheeseburger
Jalapeno Popper Venison Flautas
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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Pappardelle with Venison Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bacon
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced (about ½ an onion)
- ½ cup celery, diced (1 celery stalk)
- ½ cup carrot, diced (about 12 baby carrots)
- 8 ounces ground venison
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup half and half
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup venison broth or beef broth
- 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces pappardelle pasta
- Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook the bacon for about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside. To the Dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the bacon grease. Then add the mirepoix of onion, celery, carrots, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring vegetables until onion becomes translucent.
- Add ground venison, minced garlic, another ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Crumble the meat with a wooden spoon, stir well and cook until the venison has lost its raw, red color, about 3 minutes.
- Crumble the reserved bacon and add it back to the Dutch oven with the half and half and let it simmer gently over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely, about 5 minutes. Add nutmeg and stir.
- Add the beef broth and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at a lazy simmer, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.
- When the sauce has about 15 minutes left until done, bring a pot of water to a full boil. Salt boiling water and add the pappardelle pasta to pot, stirring to separate the noodles. Boil gently for 12 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. Drain and discard the water.
- To the sauce add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cooked drained pasta. Toss until pasta is well coated and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.
Eleni Q says
The recipe was fantastic and my husband loved it, it will definitely now be in the regular rotation, all round very easy to follow without too many ingredients.
Jeff Benda says
Thanks Eleni! It's great to hear you and your husband loved this venison bolognese as much as our family does!