These Oven Baked Venison Meatballs are an easy and tasty recipe! Make delicious homemade meatballs using wild game meat that are full of flavor!
It seems that I always have a freezer full of ground venison. And, I am not complaining about that! This has forced me to get creative with venison recipes and this venison meatball recipe is no exception.
Need some more venison inspiration? Try this Venison Lasagna using Cottage Cheese Recipe. Whenever I make this lasagna, I double the recipe because it is that good. This recipe is perfect for a simple and comforting dinner. Or, try this Sweet and Spicy Venison Chili. This chili recipe is my go-to recipe for football games and it won second place in a chili cook-off!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Lean! Compared with other types of ground meat, ground venison is a less fatty meat.
- Simple! All that this recipe requires is a little mixing and baking to make delicious meatballs.
- This recipe makes a large quantity! Enjoy some meatballs now and freeze the rest for later.
What exactly is ground venison?
Ground venison is ground meat made from deer. This lean meat is significantly less fatty than ground beef or ground pork making it a good, low cholesterol choice and a high protein choice. While venison may have a gamey taste, the meat takes on the flavors that it is cooked with.
Ingredients
- Ground venison is the base for these meatballs. Ground Italian sausage is mixed into the meatballs to add fat and flavor.
- Panko breadcrumbs, eggs, and whole milk help to bind the meatballs together.
- Parmesan cheese also helps to bind the meatballs together, add flavor, and keep the meatballs moist.
- Dried parsley, garlic cloves, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and ground nutmeg add Italian flavor and spice to the meatball mixture.
- The meatballs are cooked in beef broth which helps to keep the meatballs tender.
See the below recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations
- In place of the panko breadcrumbs, use crushed crackers (I like Ritz), homemade breadcrumbs, cooked quinoa or rolling oats.
- Use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs! Slice and chop the herbs into small pieces and mix with the meat mixture.
- If you don't have ground venison, use ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey.
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheets: Use the largest rimmed baking sheet that you have. There should be space in between each meatball.
- Large mixing bowl: I suggest using the largest bowl that you have.
- Cookie scoop: This is the key to making a perfectly round meatball. Here is the cookie scoop that I use!
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Your hands! This is hands down the best way to mix these meatballs!
Instructions
Step 1: Add parmesan cheese, whole milk, eggs, and panko bread crumbs to a large bowl. Whisk together.
Step 2: To the same large bowl, add the ground venison and ground Italian sausage. Use a large wooden spoon to break up the meat and begin mixing the meats together.
Step 3: Add the dried parsley, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic cloves to the meat mixture. Use your hands to mix the meat with wet ingredients and spices.
Step 4: Form meatballs into small to medium size balls. This can be done with a cookie scoop or your hands. Place on a rimmed baking sheet about an inch apart.
Step 5: Pour beef broth onto the pan making sure that the broth has spread to touch each meatball.
Step 6: Bake the meatballs at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Let cool and enjoy!
Top tip
Make sure that the beef broth is touching all of the meatballs. This helps to keep the meatballs moist.
Freezing Meatballs
Freeze cooked venison meatballs by using a spatula to move meatballs around on the baking sheet while they cool. This will prevent the meatballs from getting stuck on the pan. Once the meatballs are completely cool, transfer them to a large freezer bag. Place meatballs inside the bag and remove any air. Freeze flat. Once ready to serve, remove from the freezer a few hours before serving and thaw in the refrigerator.
To store uncooked meatballs, follow instructions 1-4. Place the meatballs on a tray and place the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes. Once the meatballs are firm, transfer to a freezer bag and freeze. Thaw frozen meatballs in the refrigerator.
FAQ
Baking the meatballs in the oven will save calories in comparison to frying them in oil. Baking also reduces the amount of hands on time spent in the kitchen.
To prevent meatballs from drying out, make sure that you are pouring about a cup of beef broth on the baking sheet. This will help keep the meatballs moist while baking. Adding the ground Italian sausage to the meat mixture also helps to keep the meatballs moist.
There are so many easy and delicious ways to serve these meatballs. Serve over spaghetti with your favorite sauce, make meatball subs, serve in the crockpot as cocktail meatballs, or use in Italian wedding soup.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try one of these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with meatballs:
📖 Recipe
Oven Baked Venison Meatballs (Easy and Tasty Recipe)
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Cookie Scoop
- Whisk
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
- ½ cup Whole Milk
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 pound Ground Venison
- ½ pound Ground Italian Sausage
- ¼ cup Dried Parsley
- 1 tablespoon Oregano chopped
- 2 teaspoon Dried Basil
- ½ tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 4 cups Beef Broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add parmesan cheese, whole milk, eggs, and panko bread crumbs to a large bowl. Whisk together.
- To the same large bowl, add the ground venison and ground Italian sausage. Use a large wooden spoon to break up the meat and begin mixing the meats together.
- Add the dried parsley, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic cloves to the meat mixture. Use your hands to mix the meat with wet ingredients and spices.
- Using a cookie scoop (or your hands), form meatballs into small balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Add about 1 ½ cups of beef broth to the bottom of the cookie tray. Broth should cover the bottom of the meatballs.
- Bake meatballs for 25 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Barb Langrall says
I’ve made lots of meatballs in my life, but the beef broth on the baking sheet , definitely elevates the moisture content and flavor. A crowd pleaser! I followed directions as written. Freezing works well.
delmarvaliciousdishes says
Awesome! The beef broth definitely keeps them moist!