Easy Caramelized Onion Venison Meatloaf with Gravy

A rich and hearty venison meatloaf like no other with caramelized onions, gooey Swiss cheese, that gets smothered in a homemade brown gravy.

Inspired by the indulgent flavors of French Onion Soup, this French Onion Meatloaf is quite possibly the best meatloaf I’ve ever eaten. After slowly caramelizing the onions to perfection, we’ll mix together the perfect blend of ingredients to create a flavorful and moist meatloaf. I love to cook mine in my pellet grill for an added depth of flavor, but the cooking instructions are the same to cook in your oven. After it cooks for about an our, we will load the top with more caramelized onions and tons of cheese to crest the most mouth watering dish. I’ve also included an optional brown gravy, which I think is the perfect finishing touch for this amazing comfort food dinner.

Cheesy French Onion Venison Meatloaf

My husband was actually a “meatloaf hater” before he met me. It makes me laugh to think that now because he loves meatloaf now, especially this version created in honor of the French Onion Soup we all know and love. My favorite part about this recipe is that we’re using real ingredients and spices. By that I mean, no packets, no “cream of’s,” just real food. One important note is that this recipe, and all meatloafs, made with wild game need added fat. When I personally butcher, and I know others do this as well, I don’t add any fat. So, if you are like me, you will also need to add ground pork to this recipe. I provided a simple fix for that in the note section. Chances are if you are getting your venison processed, you wont need to add any additional fat as your butcher likely already has.

Cheesy Venison French Onion Meatloaf

What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe:

  • Butter
  • Onions
  • Beef Broth- I prefer to use Better than Bullion as a base
  • Ground Venison
  • Panko Breadcrumbs
  • Egg
  • Seasonings
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Swiss Cheese- if you don’t like Swiss, a great swap would be Gruyère.
Cheesy Venison French Onion Meatloaf

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Cheesy French Onion Venison Meatloaf with Gravy

Cheesy French Onion Venison Meatloaf

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A venison meatloaf like no other. It has rich, savory flavors and is loaded with cheese.  You have to try this Cheesy Venison French Onion Meatloaf!

  • Author: Jenn Homa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Method: Oven, Pellet Grill

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • 2 large Onions, Julienned
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground Venison * See note
  • 3/4 cup Plain Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup Beef Broth
  • 1.5 tablespoons Minced Garlic
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce, Divided
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 6 Slices Swiss Cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley, To Garnish (Optional)
  • Mashed Potatoes, For Serving (Optional)

Simple Brown Gravy (Optional)

  • Drippings from the Caramelized Onion Pan
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • 2 cups Beef Broth (I highly recommend using Better than Bullion as a starter)
  • 4 tablespoons Water mixed with 2 tablespoons Cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven or pellet grill to 350°F (175°C).
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in onions and one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and sauté the sliced onions until they are caramelized and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Add a splash of beef broth to deglaze the pan and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool, but do not clean out the pan if you want to make the optional brown gravy.
  3. In a large bowl, add the ground venison, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, beaten egg, remaining one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning,  smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Then take half of the caramelized onions, chop them up if desired, and add them to the bowl. Mix well and shape the mixture into a loaf and place it in a meatloaf pan lined with parchment paper or a baking dish.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven or grill for 1 hour.
  5. Optional Gravy: To make the gravy, about halfway through the cooking process you can get back out the caramelized onion pan and start melted 2 tablespoons of butter. Then add in beef broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add in cornstarch mixture and stir well. Taste and add any salt and pepper if desired. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until time to serve.
  6. After the hour is up, top with remaining caramelized onions and slices of cheese and continue cooking until the cheese is melted and the meatloaf if cooked through.
  7. Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley and served with mashed potatoes and drizzled brown gravy if desired.

Notes

* I like to do 1 pound full venison mixed with ½ pound ground pork. If your venison already has added fat, there is no need to add pork.

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