Slow Cooker Venison Bolognese

This easy venison Bolognese starts with ground deer and a jar of marinara, then slow cooks into something rich and hearty. Just toss it all in the crockpot and let it simmer low while you tend to the day—spaghetti night never looked so good.

You’ll love this recipe

• it’s great over any shape pasta
• only uses one pound of ground deer
• has hidden veggies for picky eaters

Ingredients

• ground venison - we grind beef fat into our venison but plain ground venison works great in this recipe
• bacon - adds much needed fat to the lean venison. traditionally this sauce is made with pancetta but it’s not easy to find where I live so I substitute bacon
• onion, carrots, celery - these are all optional but add so much flavor. on busy nights I leave them out to cut down on time
• garlic - flavors the meat, I never leave this out
• milk - you can substitute heavy cream or half and half
• red wine - white wine is delicious in this sauce too, when I don’t have any on hand I leave the wine out all together

Instructions

• Cook bacon in two tablespoons of olive oil until rendered.

• Add minced carrots, celery, and onion. Cook over medium low until softened and caramelized.

• Add ground venison and cook until browned, breaking up the meat with a spatula. Season with salt and pepper.

• Add garlic and cook until fragrant, around 2 minutes.

• Pour in red wine and cook until reduced, 2-3 minutes.

• Add milk and cook until reduced, 2-3 minutes.

• Add the jar of marinara and stir to combine.

• Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1-2 hours.

• Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!