Wild Venison Meatball Stew
70 Min
GF

Wild Venison Meatball Stew

Venison meat tends to be super lean and deeply flavorful. To embellish with vegetables, we add minced celery and onions however you could replace with minced cauliflower, peppers, or squash. The herbs and cardamom add a nice aroma, which you could replace with cinnamon or nutmeg. Don’t be afraid to add all that ginger in the meatballs, it will amplify the flavor of the meat and spices. The yogurt or sour cream is key to making the meatballs soft so do not skip this step. Adding vegetables to a meat stew of any kind is a wonderful way to add more vegetables into your diet – here we added local purple hull snap peas but anything from asparagus to green beans would make a good option.
Share this recipe
Cook Time

1 hour and 10 minutes

Serves

6

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the venison meat with celery, onions, herbs, ginger, yogurt, cardamom, black pepper and salt. Make 15 to 16 1-inch meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside until the sauce is ready.
Step 2
Over high heat in a Dutch oven or a thick-bottomed pan, warm the olive oil with minced onions and cook until the onions are light brown. Stir frequently and reduce the heat to medium or the onions will burn – this will take approximately 10 minutes.
Step 3
Next add the minced garlic, turmeric, chile, salt and tomatoes and continue cooking on medium to high heat until the fat emerges from the sides.
Step 4
Then add the coconut milk and garam masala with a cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 5
Add the meatballs and continue simmering for another 5 to 7 minutes. Then add the green vegetables, cover the pot, and turn the heat off. The vegetables will cook in the steam. Serve garnished with herbs.

Meatballs

1 pound venison ground meat

1 cup minced celery

1/2 cup minced onions

1/2 cup minced herbs like cilantro or parsley

2 tablespoons minced ginger

3 tablespoons thick plain yogurt or sour cream

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt



Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chile powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup ground tomatoes (canned) or 2 cup fresh minced tomatoes.

1 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon garam masala



3 cups of green vegetables like sugar snap peas, asparagus, or green beans

2 tablespoon minced herbs

Notes & Variations

  • This recipe can be made with any other meat like ground beef, chicken, or lamb.
  • Make sure to use thick drained preferably whole milk Greek yogurt or sour cream or the meatballs will not hold together.
  • Garam masala is an aromatic finishing spice mix.
Tags:
70 Min
GF

Who doesn't love a good meatball?

Check out these delicious meatball iterations below!

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.