Tuscan Venison Rigatoni Bake

This pasta bake features ground venison paired with rigatoni pasta covered in a delicious and cheesy cream sauce with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. You get the deeply flavored cream sauce and melting mozzarella cheese in every bite.

It is a comforting dish especially in the cold months but works well year-round. While this recipe has a few steps to it, it works great for an indulgent weeknight wild game meal that the whole family will be sure to love.

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce box) rigatoni pasta

1 pound ground venison

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoon paprika, divided

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped

2.5 cups tightly packed baby spinach, chopped

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Parsley, to garnish

Recipe Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni pasta according to package directions for al dente.
3. Drain and place the pasta into a greased 9×13” pan.
4. In a large skillet, add the ground venison. Cook over medium high heat and crumble until it’s no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Season the venison with onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of the paprika, and red pepper flakes while its cooking. Set the venison into the bowl with the pasta and cheese
5. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil. Add in onion and sauté for a 5-6 minutes or until translucent. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant.
6. Add heavy cream, chicken broth, Italian seasoning and the remaining salt and 1 teaspoon paprika. Stir and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the spinach and sun dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Top the pasta with mozzarella cheese, sauce from the pan. Top with Parmesan cheese.
10. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
11. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

 

Hey! I’m Jenn Danella. I am a sportswoman, hunter, and wild-game chef with a strong passion for the great outdoors. To me, there’s no greater reward than to be able to provide for myself and my family through hunting and fishing. Check out my cookbooks and more at jenndanella.com.