Venison Bolognese (Venison Ragu Pasta Sauce)
An Italian classic with a wild game twist. This flavorful pasta sauce is the perfect match for earthy ground venison. You'll never go back to regular spaghetti sauce!
Servings: 6
Calories: 612kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 oz pancetta (or bacon), diced
- 1 cup onion, finely diced (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated (about 2-3 cloves)
- 1 cup carrots, finely diced (about 3-4 medium carrots)
- ½ cup celery, finely diced (about 1-2 stalks)
- 1 lb ground venison
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (more as needed)
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 parmesan rind (optional)
- 1 lb dry pasta (or fresh pasta)
- fresh basil, for garnish
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta to the pan and cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to low. If there isn't much rendered fat from the pancetta in the pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pan. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Don't allow the vegetables to brown.
- Add ground meat to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Break up the chunks and cook until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Add cooked pancetta back to the pan.
- Add the wine to the pan. Cook until the wine has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the milk to the pan. Cook until the milk has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, and parmesan rind. Simmer on very low heat for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to get dry, add in some water a couple of tablespoons at a time.
- Cook pasta according to the package or recipe directions. Reserve ⅓ cup pasta water. Stir reserved pasta water into bolognese. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Cooling Instructions:
- Bolognese is a great recipe to make a big batch for future meals. But, it should be cooled properly in order to avoid bacterial growth.
- Pour the sauce into a shallow dish like a glass baking dish. Spread the sauce into a thin layer. Let the sauce cool at room temperature uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place the dish in the fridge uncovered and let it cool the rest of the way, stirring occasionally to redistribute the warm and cold spots. The FDA recommends cooling food to 70°F in 2 hours and to 41°F in a total of 6 hours. The time starts as soon as you finish cooking the food.
Freezing Instructions:
- Bolognese sauce freezes very well and works great for easy weeknight meals.
- Once the sauce has been cooled to 41°F or below using the cooling instructions above, it can be frozen. Portion the sauce into freezer zippered bags. Lay bags flat on a sheet pan and freeze until solid.
- Store bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw under refrigeration and heat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.
Notes
- Any ground red meat (elk, moose, pronghorn, beef, lamb, etc.) can be used in place of ground venison.
- Since venison is a lean meat, the pancetta provides some added fat and richness to the sauce. You can use bacon or prosciutto or omit it if you'd like.
- Crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and even roasted fresh tomatoes can be used in place of diced tomatoes. The consistency of the sauce will change based on what you use, but it will still taste great!
- Dry red wine is preferred over sweet red wine for this recipe. The vegetables provide enough sweetness to the sauce. If you prefer to not cook with wine, you can replace the wine with broth and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. But, wine is an essential ingredient for bolognese so the flavor profile will be different if you substitute it.
- This recipe uses a Dutch oven because it holds heat well for a long time. You can also use another heavy pot or large pot. Once the milk and wine have been evaporated and all of the ingredients have been added, you can cook the bolognese in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Instead of hand-dicing the vegetables, you can chop them in the food processor instead to save time.
- If you're making a large batch and cooling it, place your pan of sauce on top of some ice packs in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 716mg | Potassium: 1077mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 4075IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 224mg | Iron: 5mg
To see the web version with photos, tips and FAQs, scan the QR code or visit:
