Venison Ragù with Pappardelle Pasta

Tender shredded venison simmered in a homemade tomato sauce creating a delicious and hearty wild game dinner.

Venison Ragu is a classic Italian dish featuring slow cooked venison and a warm and inviting sauce. This recipe is great because it is made with staple pantry ingredients you already have at home. While it cooks, the venison soaks up all those flavors in the sauce. After a few hours, the meat just easily falls apart when you shred it with a fork. It’s warm, tender, and best when served over pappardelle pasta; in my humble opinion that is! You can serve over your family’s favorite pasta for an easy swap. Either way, be sure to top with extra grated Parmesan to finish off the dish.

What You’ll Need to Make This:

• Venison Roast but you can easily swap, elk, wild hog, moose, etc!
• Veggies: onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes. The works!
• Red Wine- just use whatever red wine you prefer to drink
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Garlic (fresh is best)
• Herbs- Thyme, Bay Leaf
• Pasta- Pappardelle is what I’d recommend but you can also use your family’s favorite!
• Freshly Grated Parmesan or equivalent as

If You Love This Recipe, You Have to Try These:

• The BEST Venison Meatballs
• Million Dollar VENISON Spaghetti
• Authentic Italian Venison Braciole

Venison Ragù (with Tender Shredded Venison)

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Tender shredded venison simmered in a homemade tomato sauce creating the most delicious venison ragu. Serve with your favorite pasta for a hearty dinner that the whole family will love and come back for seconds.

• Author: Jenn Homa
• Prep Time: 25-30 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Method: Dutch Oven
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided
• ~1.5-2 pound Venison Roast
• Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped
• 1 cup Diced Carrots
• 1/2 cup Diced Celery
• 1/4 cup Red Wine
• 1 (6 ounce) can Tomato Paste
• 5 cloves Garlic, Diced
• 1 (28 ounce) can Whole Peeled Tomatoes (San Marzanos Preferred)*
• 1 cup Beef Broth
• 2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

For Serving

• Pappardelle Pasta, Cooked According to Package Directions
• Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
• Freshly Chopped Parsley, To Garnish

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Instructions

1. Clean and trim venison roast of any silver skin. Then, pat roast completely dry using paper towels. Cut into 2-3 inch large cubes then season all over with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once heated, brown the roast on all sides, in batches if needed. Set aside to a plate.
3. In the same Dutch oven, add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Then, add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the red wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add tomato paste and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes stirring often.
5. Add the whole tomatoes, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Blend with a hand blender until tomatoes are broken up/smooth.
6. Add in the browned venison, thyme, bay leaf, and cover. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for approximately 3 hours or until the venison is fork tender.
7. Shred the venison with two forks then return it to the pot. Serve over pasta of your choice with grated cheese and garnished with fresh chopped parsley.