This is the best, easy venison lasagna. A classic recipe with a balance between sauce, meat, noodles, and cheese.
My MOST requested recipe to date is finally here. You all have been begging for a venison lasagna recipe from yours truly. So here it is, my gift to you!
Let me start by saying, lasagna isn’t always at the top of my list for meal choices. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I’m very VERY particular about it.
To me, good lasagna has to have a balanced ratio between pasta, cheese, and sauce. It can’t be too cheesy because that just turns into a greasy pile of mush on your plate. And I always have to have meat in my sauce. I think it adds texture, flavor, and it breaks up the layers.
I have to give my mom a big thanks for all of her help with this one. We had quite a few long discussions about everything lasagna should be and she was able to troubleshoot with me when I ran into a few snags like dry edges, not enough saucy sauce, etc.
But alas, after countless trials, I give you a CROWD PLEASING lasagna that any meat eater will like, regardless if they’ve had venison before or not. So, let’s get into it.
Can you use venison in lasagna?
This is a resounding YES! Lasagna is a fantastic way to use up ground venison and it’s a dish that many picky eaters or new to wild game eaters will enjoy. It’s such a familiar dish with comforting flavors that really…anyone will like it!
I have a few tricks up my sleeve for making the taste of the deer meat or venison work with the lasagna. I like adding acidic components (balsamic vinegar in the sauce, lemon zest in the cheese mixture) and making sure my seasoning level is just right. If you follow the recipe below to a T, you won’t be disappointed.
Also, If you have an abundance of ground venison Italian sausage, this is a fantastic use for that! I often have people come to me asking what to do with it and this is a great recipe. Sub it exactly for the ground venison.
Ingredients for the best deer meat lasagna sauce
I think all great lasagna starts with a great sauce. Here’s what I like to use in mine to really get a nice flavor balance and make sure I have enough sauce to keep the lasagna moist.
- olive oil
- onion
- ground venison (deer, elk, moose, antelope – beef + bison will work, too)
- garlic
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
- sugar (just a bit)
- balsamic vinegar (secret sauce)
- crushed tomaotes
If you’re going to take a shortcut, you can use jarred sauce. 2 jars will do. Just brown your venison in a pan and pour the pre-made sauce in to heat it before making the layers.
Tip – when spreading your sauce, especially on the top layer, go ALLLLL the way to the edges to make sure the lasagna doesn’t dry out.
What’s in the cheese filling?
The cheese filling took me the longest to nail. I like ricotta, not cottage cheese, but I don’t like too much of it. I also thought adding egg actually dried my lasagna out and prevented cheese pulls. The BEST ratio I found was this:
- 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup full-fat ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. lemon zest (don’t skip this, it’s key for blanacing wild game flavors)
How many layers is best for classic lasagna
I like 3 layers of noodles. So with lasagna, I’ve always been taught to start with sauce so the noodles don’t stick to the pan. So the layers look like:
- sauce
- noodles
- cheese
- sauce
- noodles
- cheese
- sauce
- noodles
- sauce
- sprinkle of parmasean
I am SO excited for you all to try this recipe. I have a feeling it will be a staple in your home as it is in ours. This is a great meal to make and take or serve for entertaining, too! To freeze it, for best results, assemble it freeze before baking. Then, when you’re ready to serve, account for about an extra 20 minutes of bake time so it can thaw.
If you love this recipe, try out my Venison Meatballs! You’ll love em!
Print
Venison Lasagna | Easy & Classic Recipe with Deer Meat Sauce
This is the best, easy venison lasagna. A classic recipe with a balance between sauce, meat, noodles, and cheese.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven/Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian American
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 4–5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
For the cheese filling mixture:
- 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup full-fat ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
To assemble the lasagna:
- 12 lasagna noodle sheets (cooked according to packaged directions)*
- ¼–½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- parsley, for serving
Instructions
-
Start by making the sauce (see notes if you want to use store-bought sauce). Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute until the edges start to brown.
-
When the onion starts to brown, add the ground venison and brown that. Then, add the garlic, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes before deglazing the pan with the balsamic vinegar.
-
Finally, add the crushed tomatoes and let the sauce simmer covered over low heat while you prepare the cheese mixture and noodles.
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles. Drain and set aside. You can toss them in a little bit of olive oil if they’re sticky so they don’t clump together.
-
Mix together all of the cheese filling ingredients in a medium bowl. Preheat the oven to 350F.
-
Now it’s time to assemble the lasagna in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Remove the sauce from the heat and make an assembly line with the sauce, cheese filling, and noodles.
-
Start by pouring 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Then, lay 4 noodles on top of the sauce, overlapping them a bit so they all fit, and cover the bottom of the dish. Next, spread half of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. You can just kind of sprinkle it around the best you can. Then, add another 1/4 of the sauce. Then, top with 4 more noodles.
-
Repeat this whole process one more time. Then, cover the exposed noodles with the remaining sauce and parmesan cheese. Make sure the sauce goes all the way to the edge of each noodle so the edges don’t dry out.
-
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and then bake for an additional 10 minutes until everything is bubbly and melted. Slice & enjoy!
Notes
- If you’re short on time the shortcut to take is using the premade, store-bought sauce. Brown venison in 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot. Then add 2 jars (about 24oz each) of any sauce you like. Follow the remainder of the directions exactly.
- Use regular lasagna noodles, not the no-boil kind. I tested this and it’s just not the same, too dry. If you’re short on time, see above and use store-bought sauce.
- If you have an abundance of ground venison Italian sausage, this is a fantastic use for that! I often have people come to me asking what to do with it and this is a great recipe. Sub it exactly, 1:1, for the ground venison.
- To freeze it, for best results, assemble it freeze before baking. Then, when you’re ready to serve, account for about an extra 20 minutes of bake time so it can thaw.
Keywords: lasagna, venison, deer, deer meat, pasta, italian
