Instant Pot Venison Spanish Rice (Easy Ground Venison Recipe)
This Instant Pot recipe combines ground venison with rice and fideo pasta for a hearty Spanish-style dish. The blend of taco seasoning, crushed tomatoes, and spices creates a savory seasoning profile that simmers with stock and vegetables. Cooking everything together under pressure blends flavors quickly and yields tender meat and rice with a slightly saucy texture. It's a flexible recipe adaptable to various ground meats or even a vegetarian side by omitting meat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground venison or elk, moose, antelope, etc
- 3 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon pork lard or other cooking fat
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion medium, diced, about 2 cups
- 1 cup long grain rice
- ½ cup fideo pasta
- 2 cups stock or broth (wild game, chicken, etc
- 1 ½ cup crushed tomatoes canned
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- cheddar cheese shredded, for serving; or monterey jack, etc
- sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- Mix taco seasoning into ground venison.
- Heat Instant Pot on sauté mode on high. Add lard and swirl to coat the pot.
- Add seasoned meat to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip the meat and continue cooking until browned, breaking the meat up into small pieces while it cooks, about 3-4 more minutes. Remove meat to a bowl and set aside.
- Add butter and swirl to coat the pot. Add diced onion. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add rice and fideo pasta. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
- Add tomatoes, stock, remaining seasonings, and cooked meat. Stir to combine. Make sure you stir it well and scrape up any brown bits to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Turn off sauté mode.
- Place the lid on top of the Instant Pot and lock it into the sealed position. Move the steam release valve to the closed position. Select the rice mode and let the Instant Pot come to pressure and cook.
- When cooking is done, quick release the Instant Pot by releasing the steam release valve. When pressure is fully released, remove the lid. Fluff the rice with a spoon or fork.
- Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Stovetop Instructions:
- Follow steps 1-6 above with a large skillet instead of an Instant Pot. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.
Storage Instructions:
- This recipe makes plenty for leftovers. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days or vacuum seal it and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in the microwave or saute it in a pan on the stove for a crispy texture.
Notes
- Ground beef, elk, moose, or antelope meat can be substituted for venison as desired.
- If avoiding meat, prepare this as a vegetarian side dish by omitting the ground meat.
- Any preferred taco seasoning may be used instead of homemade.
- Angel hair or thin spaghetti broken into small pieces can replace fideo pasta if unavailable.
- Use beef or chicken broth instead of wild game stock if easier to find.
- Add cooked pinto or black beans after cooking to increase fiber content and make the dish more substantial.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 404
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 404kcal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 50g | 17% |
| Protein | 22g | 44% |
| Fat | 13g | 20% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Trans Fat | 0.2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 73mg | 24% |
| Sodium | 438mg | 18% |
| Potassium | 596mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 574IU | 11% |
| Vitamin C | 8mg | 9% |
| Calcium | 62mg | 6% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.