Adjust the amount of meat and cheese in this venison lasagna recipe according to your preference. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Lasagna is an easy way to feed a crowd, and it’s equally tasty with venison. One pound of meat seems standard in most lasagna recipes, but being a meat lover, my husband thought it was a bit light. Add more venison if desired and adjust cheese to your liking.
Serves: 12
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of ground venison
- 1 (1-pound) box lasagna pasta
- Cooking oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 15 ounces whole ricotta
- 2 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly cracked pepper
- Freshly chopped parsley
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Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, basil, oregano, thyme and a pinch of salt, and sweat until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Turn heat up to medium-high, add ground venison and brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add red wine and allow to reduce by half.
Brown the venison with chopped onions, basil, oregano, thyme and salt. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
- Next add 1 ½ jars of marinara sauce to the venison mixture and bring to a simmer. Take off heat when warmed through.
Add your favorite marinara sauce to the venison mixture and let it simmer until warmed. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spread half of remaining marinara sauce onto the bottom of the dish. Then line the bottom of the dish with a layer of lasagna pasta. On top of that, spread on some of the meat sauce, mozzarella cheese, a few dollops of ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Place another layer of pasta on top and repeat twice more. After putting down the last layer of pasta, spread the rest of the meatless marinara sauce on top and cover with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
This lasagna recipe is made with three different cheeses. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
- Cover the dish with foil and cook for 30 minutes in a 375-degree oven. Remove the foil and continue baking until cheese turns slightly golden. Allow lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.