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Venison Meatloaf

Meatloaf is more of an art than a science, and the loaf's final consistency depends on a few things: How much stuff you put into the mix that isn't meat, how thoroughly you work the meat, and what sort of binder you use.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 429 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups bread, torn to pieces (see recipe headnotes)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped roughly
  • 1 small fennel bulb, chopped roughly (optional)
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds ground venison
  • 1 cup grated Italian cheese, parmesan or pecorino
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or ketchup)
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3 eggs
  • Marinara sauce for painting the top and serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Soak the bread cubes in a bowl with the milk while you chop the vegetables and get everything else ready. Put the roughly chopped vegetables into a food processor and blitz them until it begins to form something of a paste. This will keep the meatloaf super moist.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and sauté the vegetables from the food processor until soft. Add the tomato sauce and mix well. Cook this another couple minutes, then remove the mixture to a plate and spread it out: This helps it cool quickly.
  3. Preheat your oven to 375°F. When the bread has softened, squeeze out the excess milk and chop and mash the soaked bread on a cutting board until it too forms something of a paste. Toss it and the cooled vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Add the ground venison, cheese, parsley, eggs, salt and oregano and combine. I like to actually work the meatloaf mix well because the bread and vegetable mix will keep it moist and tender -- normally you don't want to over work meatball mixes, but this is an exception. It will help the meatloaf bind together better.
  4. Grease a loaf pan; I use butter. The pan I use is a Pyrex 1 1/2-quart pan that is 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Something more ore less this size will be fine. Or, you can set the mixture on a greased baking sheet and mold it into a loaf. Pack the meat mixture into the pan and bake it until the center reads about 155°F, which will take roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes. I put the loaf pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any overflow of fat or tomato sauce.
  5. About 30 minutes before the meatloaf is ready (shoot for the 45-minute mark), paint the top of the loaf with marinara sauce. Have some more sauce warming in a small pot to serve with the finished meatloaf.
  6. Once the loaf is ready, sit it on the countertop for 5 minutes to rest before popping out of the loaf pan. Do this carefully. Slice and serve with sauce.

Notes

  • This recipe calls for marinara sauce, but any simple tomato sauce will do, so long as it's not too chunky. Finally, this meatloaf keeps well, and is great as a sandwich filling during the week.
  • Use finely ground venison with some fat in it, beef or pork. Or mix fatless ground venison with fatty ground pork or beef or veal. Or double the bread. 
  • You can cook the vegetable mix up to a day or two ahead. Keep it in the fridge.
  • If you want things a little zippy, add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. 
  • I like to serve this with mashed potatoes or polenta, and I really like it as sandwiches the next day. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 429kcal (21%) Carbohydrates 12g (4%) Protein 45g (90%) Fat 22g (34%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Cholesterol 222mg (74%) Sodium 1707mg (71%) Potassium 886mg (25%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 2360IU (47%) Vitamin C 10.1mg (11%) Calcium 301mg (30%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 429

% Daily Value*

Calories 429kcal 21%
Carbohydrates 12g 4%
Protein 45g 90%
Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 222mg 74%
Sodium 1707mg 71%
Potassium 886mg 19%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 2360IU 47%
Vitamin C 10.1mg 11%
Calcium 301mg 30%
Iron 6mg 33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.