Servings per Recipe
8.00
Nutrition Facts
Calories
: 400
Fat
: 9
g
Sodium
: 660
mg
Total carbohydrate
: 49
g
Fiber
: 0
g
Protein
: 28
g
Ingredients
1 pound small shaped pasta, uncooked (Tip 1)
1 pound ground venison (ground beef, turkey, or chicken can be used if venison is not available)
1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
1 Tablespoon dry Italian herb seasoning (optional)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Wash hands with soap and water.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When water is boiling, add pasta. Stir occasionally and cook for 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain water from pasta into a colander and set aside.
In the same large pot that cooked the pasta, add venison and 1 tablespoon oil (Tip 2). Cook over medium heat, breaking meat into small pieces, until meat is browned.
Add marinara sauce and Italian herb seasoning (if using) to meat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is bubbling.
Add drained pasta to meat sauce and stir to combine. Pour into greased baking dish. Evenly spread cheese over top of pasta, or stir half of cheese into pasta and spread remaining cheese over top.
Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is bubbling.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a food-safe container. Eat leftovers within 4 days.
Note
- Tip 1: Try this recipe with penne, rotini, or ziti pasta shapes. Use whole-wheat pasta to add more fiber.
- Tip 2: If venison is ground with added fat, do not use oil in recipe. If a lot of fat is released from the cooked meat, drain the fat and return meat to pan.
- Variation: For a more “saucy” dish, use one-half pound of pasta.
-
Venison Pasta Bake recipe developed and shared by Illinois Deer Donation Program.