Quick Dinner: Venison Wagyu Meatballs with Sauce

Okay, so admittedly this sounds super complex, but don’t let the ingredients deter you from trying this recipe.

I try to make most recipes, on the fly and without directions. Not because i don’t like following directions but mostly because i like to make shit up and see how it goes. 🤷‍♀️ Plus, i love a challenge, so at 6pm-ish with my 17-year old son asking “what’s for dinner?” And my husband due to be home in 30-minutes, i start to mosey through the fridge, then freezer and then the pantry in search of something to spark a creative thought.

Our freezer crashed and burned the other day, so i had a lot of random options. One of which was a box of venison wagyu patties from Force of Nature. I don’t know why i bought them, my husband is super adverse to game meat. 🤫 shhh.. he’ll never know! They had defrosted when the freezer went down and passed the sniff test, so they made the top of the list.

I remembered i bought Rao’s sausage mushroom sauce (the only pre-made sauce i use or recommend) and some angel hair pasta the other day and was hoping right now that my older daughter hadn’t gone “browsing” through the pantry while we were gone for the weekend. Because THAT never happens 🙄

Alright! We have everything i need to make meatballs! Yay!!

Crap. I’m out of eggs and need something for a binder with the breadcrumbs. Hmmm… i do have milk. So milk it is! Sometimes you have to be creative with what you have.

Follow along below and make some for yourself. They are super easy and quick. Like 20-30 minutes quick.

Ingredients (what i used):

1 box “Force of Nature” venison patties (4-to a box) approx. 1 lb

2 TBSP garlic powder

1 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP Sea Salt

1 TBSP ground black powder (course)

1 TSP cayenne pepper

1 TSP ground sage

2 TBSP olive oil

1/4 cup milk (whatever you have)

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1-jar Rao’s mushroom and sausage sauce (or whatever you have on hand)

1 bottle of red wine (whatever you have) 1- cup for the sauce and the rest for the cook!

1 box of pasta (i used angle hair)

First off, put a large pot of water on to boil.

Then, combine the meat and all the spices together in a bowl. Then add the milk and mix it in with your hands. Then add the breadcrumbs. You might need a little extra if it’s too moist. You want the meat to stick together.

Make the meatballs:

Pinch off enough meat to make a 1 inch meatball. There should be enough meat for 12-meatballs with 1 lb of meat.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet with 3 to 4 inch sides. Brown them quickly on all sides. This meat cooks very quickly, so pay attention!

Once browned (3-4 minutes) add the entire jar of sauce. Then add one cup of wine to the jar and shake it up.

Add the mixture to the sauce, turn the heat to low and cover, then simmer.

Back to the noods. Once the pot starts to boil, add your noodles of choice. Follow the directions. The meatballs should simmer on low until your noodles are ready.

Voila! That’s it. You are done! These would even be great by themselves. Or maybe sans the noodles with sautéed broccoli and garlic. Or maybe with creamy polenta! Either way, make sure you don’t forget the wine!!

Cheers! Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe! Share your pics for bonus points 😊🤩