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Home » Recipes » venison

Venison Ragu

Published: Feb 5, 2022 · Modified: Jan 26, 2024 by Sarah Baumeister · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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Rich and meaty, sweet and tangy, and totally saucy-- this Venison Ragu makes the best venison spaghetti sauce for an easy weeknight dinner or any time you want something hearty and satisfying.

finished dish on a pink low bowl

There are a few easy meals around our house that Michael and I jokingly refer as "mom" meals. These are dishes that are made easily when you forgot to take something out to thaw ahead of time or you want to cook, but don't feel like making something super fancy or complicated. "Mom spaghetti," is one of those meals.

Now that we have a freezer full of venison meat in different cuts, these meals are all getting the deer meat treatment! And I have to say, I may prefer it to their standard ground beef versions.

Jump to:
  • Is ragu the same as bolognese?
  • Ingredients for Venison Ragu
  • How to Make Venison Spaghetti Sauce
  • Recipe Tips
  • How to Store
  • Venison Ragu
finished meat sauce in a skillet with basil for garnish

This venison ragout is similar to regular beef ragu, but with a couple additions to really make it shine, like adding acid and additional fat to keep it moist. It has a great depth of flavor from caramelized tomato paste and red wine vinegar.

Ground Venison Tacos, Venison Chili, and Venison Shepherd's Pie are more staples your family is sure to love.

venison ragu on bed of spaghetti in a low bowl with silverware in background

Is ragu the same as bolognese?

Although people often interchange meat sauces with names like spaghetti sauce, ragu, ragout, and bolognese, they can actually be quite different.

Bolognese is a type of ragu that has wine in it, most often white wine. In true bolognese sauces, there is also cream or milk.

This venison meat sauce is more of a traditional ragu. Ragu is a rich sauce from Italy that has a base of mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery). Ragu are often heavily tomato based and some include red wine.

It works as a delicious meat sauce for many italian dishes including venison lasagna or cheesy stuffed shells with spinach.

It is also wonderful poured over top your favorite pasta shape (pappardelle pasta would be wonderful!) ​with a side of garlic bread and a salad.

Ingredients for Venison Ragu

ingredients for venison spaghetti on a white background
  • Ground venison meat: Ragu can be made with ground meat or larger cuts that are pulled or shredded. I find ground venison to be the easiest way to make this. Make sure you brown the meat well- it adds a lot of flavor.
  • Tomato paste: Caramelizing the tomato paste really deepens the flavor and adds sweetness.
  • Crushed tomatoes: Tutto Rosso or San Manzarno both are great brands. You can also buy canned whole tomatoes and crush them yourself.
  • Red wine vinegar: Just enough to offset the rich taste of the sauce.
  • Chicken stock: This adds flavor and also thins out the ragu and makes it a bit more "saucy." You can replace it with red wine if you want.
  • Olive oil: As mentioned, venison meat is very lean. Using a quality olive oil adds fat and flavor to this sauce.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients.

How to Make Venison Spaghetti Sauce

onions and garlic on a green cutting board waiting to be chopped

Step 1. Dice onions and garlic.

onions and garlic in a saute pan with olive oil

Step 2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large deep skillet or pot. Add in onions and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.

browned venison meat coated tomato paste

Step 3. Add in ground venison meat and brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. Once the venison begins to brown, add in entire can of tomato paste and stir. It will be a little thick at first, but will be easier to work with as it heats up. Allow to caramelize with the ground meat, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. This should take about 6-7 minutes.

finished meat sauce in a skillet with a spoon

Step 4. Deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan-- those are full of flavor. Add in chicken stock (you can substitute in starchy pasta water or wine) and stir. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, and italian seasoning. Stir and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine and the venison sauce to thicken slightly.

Recipe Tips

  • Take the time to caramelize the tomato taste to bring out its sweetness and richness. This really compliments the deer meat.
  • Add red wine vinegar. I have mentioned before that I always like to add a bit of acid when cooking wild game, such as venison. It helps tone down the gaminess and again, compliments the meat very well.
  • Add more olive oil than you traditionally would. Venison is an extremely lean protein source. Although we add fat into the ground meat after we harvest it, I still like to add a bit more olive oil or butter when cooking with it than I normally would.
venison ragu on bed of spaghetti topped with basil in a low bowl

How to Store

This deer meat sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

It also freezes wonderfully and can be kept frozen for many months. I love making big batches of sauce and separating it to pull out and thaw for various dinner recipes like lasagna, poured over Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash, and even as a pizza sauce with this sourdough pizza dough.

If you tried this Venison Ragu or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.

finished venison ragu spaghetti sauce

Venison Ragu

Sarah Baumeister
This Venison Ragu is the Best Venison Spaghetti Sauce with classic flavors like onions, garlic, and italian seasoning, and special ingredients like red wine vinegar to make the wild game reach its full potential.
4.86 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course venison
Cuisine American
Servings 6 cups
Calories 327 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. ground venison meat
  • 1 5 oz. can tomato paste
  • 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp. italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large deep skillet or pot. Add in onions and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.
  • Add in ground venison meat and brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go.
  • Once the venison begins to brown, add in entire can of tomato paste and stir. It will be a little thick at first, but will be easier to work with as it heats up.
  • Allow to caramelize with the ground meat, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. This should take about 6-7 minutes.
  • Deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan-- those are full of flavor.
  • Add in chicken stock (you can substitute in starchy pasta water or wine) and stir.
  • Add crushed tomatoes, salt, and italian seasoning. Stir and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 29gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 750mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Hi, I'm Sarah!

I am a wife, mother, and believer. I have been cooking since I can remember and love sharing recipes with all of you. You will find a variety of recipes here from healthy family dinners, to ways to prepare venison, to soups, to baked goods, anything and everything delicious.

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