These classic venison stuffed peppers are chock full of perfectly seasoned ground venison, rice, and a rich tomato sauce. Top with a bit of cheese and voila!
There’s just something about using food as a vessel for making a dish that speaks to me. I think that’s why I love these venison stuffed peppers so much, they’re perfectly portioned servings made right in a pepper. How functional, cute, and – team no waste!
I actually started testing this recipe when I was prepping for my maternity leave this summer. I figured I’d get testing for you guys because stuffed peppers a a huge fall/winter favorite around out house. So is this stuffed pepper soup!
I think we love stuffed peppers so much because they’re hearty and filling without being too heavy. The rice and protein (here venison) fill you up but you get a ton of veggies in from the tomatoes, peppers and onions.
I love a dish like this – no sides needed! Just plop one (or two) on a plate and there you go! Did I mention that they freeze beautifully? Check out the directions for that below in the printout, but if you have a lot of frozen, ground venison, a great idea would be to make a double batch! And freeze half.
What’s different about stuffed peppers with venison?
So I’m sure you’re wondering…what’s the difference with venison stuffed peppers? How do you make the recipe taste good?
It’s actually so easy. I just add a spice blend that works well with venison and some red wine vinegar to the ground meat mixture. This is one of my tips for working with venison (adding acid). Make sure you check out the rest in my cookbook!
What’s the best way to cook a stuffed pepper?
When it comes to stuffed peppers, one thing to note is I like to cook my rice and meat beforehand. I know some people mix raw meat with rice and let the cooking happen in the oven, but I like to make the mixture, cook it, and let the spices toast and flavors meld beforehand.
That being said, you can absolutely use leftover rice. And if you want a twist and have my cookbook, Venison Every Day, the Italian Sausage would be great to use instead of plain ground venison, too!
All you want to do is brown the onion, venison and garlic first. Then, you add the seasonings, vinegar, and tomato sauce. You cut the top off of 8 peppers and pull the seeds out. Then, simply stuff and bake!
Have you gotten your hands on a copy of Venison Every Day, yet? It’s my cookbook focused on all venison recipes + how-to tips & tricks!
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Venison Stuffed Peppers
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 peppers 1x
Description
These venison stuffed peppers are chock full of perfectly seasoned ground venison, rice, and a rich tomato sauce. Top with a bit of cheese and voila!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large, yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 cups cooked rice (I like long-grain, brown)
- 16 oz. tomato sauce (I used 2 (8 oz.) cans, you can also use a (15 oz.) can)
- 8 bell peppers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Then, add the onion and saute for about 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Then, add the ground venison and brown, this takes about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Brown for an additional 3-4 minutes to give the spices a chance to release flavor.
- Next, add the red wine vinegar and deglaze the pan. Then, stir in the rice and tomato sauce. Remove the filling from the heat.
- Cut the tops off of the 8 peppers and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in a large baking dish (any size that fits all the peppers works), and stuff with the venison mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the peppers are soft.
- If desired, top with parmesan and fresh parsley.
Notes
To freeze, simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the peppers on the paper. Freeze fully (about 4-6 hours) before storing a freezer bag OR vacuum sealing. Keeps for about 3 months in a freezer bag, 6 or so in a vacuum-sealed bag.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bell pepper
- Calories: 216
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 725 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 48 mg
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Made this for dinner last night – it was SO good! Added a little cheese on top and broiled for a couple minutes to melt it.
★★★★★
I’m SO glad you guys liked it, Taryn!!!!
Just made and it was excellent!!! The seasonings were perfect for the venison!
Absolutely delicious. I added a can of Rotel tomatoes with habanero and the tiny can of tomato sauce. Would definitely make this again. May even try it with ground elk. Have you made made with ground elk before?
★★★★★
It will 100% be great with elk. I haven’t had any on hand in a couple of years, but I happen to think the taste is even more pleasing than deer so go for it. I love the Rotel addition.