The BEST Venison Meatballs
Tender venison meatballs cooked in a delicious homemade Sunday sauce. No browning required here. The meatballs will cook to perfection right in the homemade sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Sunday Sauce
- 4 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ Large Onion, Finely Chopped
- 1 (6 ounce) can Tomato Paste
- 2 (28 ounce) cans of San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes* See Notes for Instructions For Fresh Tomatoes
- 1 (28 ounce) can Tomato Puree*
- 12 fresh Basil Leaves
- ¼ cup of Dry Red Wine
- 4 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Meatballs
- 1 ½ pounds Ground Venison
- ½ pound Ground Sweet Italian Sausage
- 1 cup Seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
- ½ Large Onion, Finely Diced
- ½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Onion Powder
- 2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
For Serving
- Cooked Pasta of Choice
- Chopped Basil or Parsley, To Garnish
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large heavy pot with olive oil on medium low heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in tomato paste and cook for about 5 minutes, spreading the paste around as it cooks.
- Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, basil, wine, chopped garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. (I usually do 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper). Use a hand blender to blend the ingredients together then cook on a low simmer with the lid left slightly ajar while you prepare the meatballs. You can let this simmer for up to an hour before starting on the meatballs if desired.
- While the sauce is simmering, get out a large bowl. Add in ground venison, Italian sausage, breadcrumbs, parsley, onion, Parmesan, eggs, and seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- With wet hands roll approximately 2” size meatballs. Rewet hands every 3rd meatball or so. Add the meatballs directly to the sauce as you roll them.
- Cook for about 90 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked and tender, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to ensure the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Serve over your favorite pasta garnished with chopped fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
*Garden Tomato Swap
You will need about 6 pounds peeled, seeded and diced garden plum tomatoes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice an X on the bottom of each tomato then once the pot is boiling balance the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes or until the skin cracks. Remove them from the water and let them cool until you can handle them.
- Peel off the skin, remove the core then squeeze the tomatoes, removing the seeds. Add in place of crushed tomatoes and tomato purée.
- If it seems too tart, add ½-1 teaspoon Baking Soda and mix well.
Find it online: https://jenndanella.com/the-best-venison-meatballs/