Recipe: Cheesy Venison Spaghetti Bake

Pasta and sauce makes an awesome meal for family or hunting camps. The combination of carbohydrates and proteins provide energy and leave you feeling full. The rich meat sauce would be considered comfort food by some, and the browned cheese is a topping that completes the dish with salty flavors.

The unique portion of this recipe is the cheese filling, with creates a creamy richness to take the dish to a new level. Mushroom, onions and peppers can be added, but get creative and use hot peppers, olives, capers, or other bold flavors. If you really want to get creative, add a layer of fresh spinach leaves between the pasta and meat sauce.

This is a great recipe to make in advance of company or a hunting trip when an easy-to-heat meal provides more time for activities.

Ingredients

Meat sauce

• 1.5 pounds of ground venison
• 3 tablespoon of oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon of dried basil
• 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 twenty-nine-ounce can of tomato sauce or prepared spaghetti sauce
• 1 four-ounce can of tomato paste

Cheese Filling

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• ½ cup of sour cream
• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 cup of cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped

Assembly Completion

• 1 sixteen ounce package of spaghetti
• 2/3 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
• 2/3 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
• ¼ cup of fresh parmesan, grated

Directions

1. Boil your spaghetti as directed on package until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
3. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, mushrooms and green peppers, and set aside.
4. In a large Camp Chef cast-iron frying pan heat oil medium-high and add the onion. Sauté for two minutes and add the venison to brown. Add the garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt and stir to blend.
5. Place the cooked spaghetti in a large 11”x15” baking dish and top with the cream cheese mixture. Stir gently to cover the pasta with the cheese mixture.
6. Pour the venison meat sauce on top of the pasta mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan over the meat sauce, and place in the oven for 30 minutes, until browned.