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venison baked ziti

Venison Baked Ziti

Enjoy a satisfying venison baked ziti with less fat than traditional recipes, while maintaining rich flavors.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian, wisconsin
Servings 8 servings
Calories 250 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 Large stockpots
  • 13x9 glass baking dish
  • small mixing bowl

Ingredients
 

Noodles

  • 1 16oz ziti noodles
  • 6 cups water
  • dash salt

Meat Sauce

  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1 cup Onion, diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 1 lb Ground venison
  • 1 lb Ground pork
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 cups Tomato sauce
  • 1 15oz can Diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Oregano

Cheese layer

  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
  • 1 16oz Ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/4 tsp Sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • 1 tsp Oregano

On Top!

  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan

Instructions
 

  • Begin by boiling water in large pot with dash of salt.
  • Add noodles to water and stir to prevent sticking to bottom. Boil for 8-9 minutes or until ziti is al dente or slightly firm. The ziti will cook further during the baking process so you don't want to overcook them during the boiling step. Drain noodles and set aside.
  • Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onions, ground venison, ground beef, and salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, and meat is cooked through. Drain the grease onto paper towel lined plate.
  • Return drained meat and onion to dutch oven and add crushed garlic. Cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
  • Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, and italian seasoning.
  • Cover and simmer meat sauce for 30 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes.
  • While meat sauce is simmering, prepare the cheese mixture.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, eggs, oregano, salt and pepper.
  • Remove the dutch oven from the heat and pour ziti noodles into the dutch oven. Stir to combine the noodles with the sauce.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly grease a 9x13 pyrex dish.
  • Pour half of meat mixture into the pan and spread out evenly on the bottom.
  • Dollop cheese mixture over the meat/ziti mixture and lightly spread over the meat mixture.
  • Pour the remainder of meat/ziti mixture over the cheese mixture and gently spread evenly.
  • Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan to top it off.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook uncovered for 10 minutes to slightly brown the top.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 250kcal
Keyword venison
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