Last night I came up with another yummy recipe that I had to share with y’all. I have been wanting to use some of the ground venison from the doe I got in November in a healthy way, and this was a perfect way to use it. Now, for the 4 servings that I made, there was a ton of meat left over. The boys just piled more of it on their plates, but I plan on using the rest for sloppy joes or something similar- it’s delicious, so don’t let it go to waste!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground venison
1 sweet onion
1 can diced tomato
3 tbsp worcestershire
1/4 cup red wine
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
head of garlic- roasted whole
2 zucchini
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

STEPS

1. Start by cutting the top off of the head of garlic so each individual clove is exposed. Place the garlic in a small pouch made of tin foil with a little bit of olive oil, and close the pouch. Roast in the oven at 400* for 30-35 minutes, until the garlic is soft to the touch.

2. Dice the onion into little pieces, and cook in a large skillet until softened. While the onions are cooking, mix the venison, Worcestershire, red wine, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. I let this sit for a little bit before cooking it so the flavors could really work together. Once the onions have softened, add that to the bowl as well.

3. Now its zucchini boat-making time. I had 2 regular sized and shaped zucchini, but round ones would work just as well for this. First, cut the ends off, then half each one lengthwise. Then cut each section into quarters right down the middle, exposing the seeds. Take a melon baller (or spoon) and scrape out the seeds, creating a little boat.

4. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet lined with tin foil (oh hello, easy clean-up!), drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss it in the oven for around 20 minutes until they start to soften. Remember, the oven is already at 400* letting that garlic get nice and soft.

{Side note- I made lemon-feta rice as a side dish for this, and now is a good time to get the water boiling so it can all finish cooking at about the same time. I used basic boxed yellow rice, prepared according to the package instructions (about 25 minutes). Half way through the cooking process, I cut a small lemon in half, squeezed in half of the juice, and put the rest right in the pot. Add a little bit of feta at the end, and you have a delish side for just about anything!}

5. While the rice is cooking and the zucchini is softening, add the meat to the skillet and let it get nice and brown. Depending on the fat content of your venison, you may need to drain the liquid off once it is cooked.

6. Pull the zucchini and garlic out of the oven. While the garlic is cooling enough for you to touch it, sprinkle a little bit of the Parmesan cheese over the top of each zucchini boat, allowing it to melt. Just a little extra layer of flavor that makes a delightful difference :). When you are able to handle the garlic, squeeze it out into the venison and mix in. It should come out almost like a paste. If a few cloves are still a little hard, just mash them with a fork before adding them in.

7. Fill each boat with the venison mixture, and top them with a little bit more of the grated Parmesan. Then toss them back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so, until the cheese starts to melt and turn a golden brown on top. Yum!

8. Dinner time! Spoon yourself some lemon-feta rice, add a side salad, and enjoy!

Extra hungry? Add a little more venison and parm on the top like the boys did. You don’t want to miss out on any of this goodness!