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    Home » Recipes » Venison Dishes

    October 13, 2020 · Updated April 8, 2024

    30 Minute Baked Ground Venison Meatballs

    4.20 from 5 votes
    2 Comments

    · by Amanda Gajdosik

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    This post may contain affiliate links. This blog generates income via ads.

    A pin to share the recipe for baked venison meatballs.

    Classic Italian flavors and simple techniques combine with the deliciousness of ground deer meat to create these tender and juicy venison meatballs. Full of garlic, herbs, and parmesan cheese these meatballs are baked in the oven and ready in just 30 minutes.

    A white plate filled with spaghetti and venison meatballs and garnished with a fresh basil leaf.

    Who knew homemade meatballs could be so easy?! And delicious?! They're one of our favorite venison recipes and pair perfectly with a plate of spaghetti or made into delicious venison meatball sliders!

    [adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="gIKJRxNM" upload-date="2023-05-04T18:27:13.000Z" name="Baked Venison Meatballs" description="Classic Italian flavors and simple techniques combine with the deliciousness of ground deer meat to create these tender and juicy venison meatballs. Full of garlic, herbs, and parmesan cheese these meatballs are baked in the oven and ready in just 30 minutes." player-type="default" override-embed="default"]

    Ingredients needed for this recipe

    • Ground Venison
    • Ground Pork Sausage
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Italian Seasoning
    • Garlic
    • Onion
    • Fresh Basil
    • Milk
    • 1 Egg
    • Diced Onion
    • Parmesan Cheese
    All the ingredients for baked venison meatballs are in glass bowls on a rimmed baking sheet.

    How do you make venison meatballs from scratch?

    1. Mix all the ingredients. It’s truly that simple. But! Don’t over mix. That leads to tough meatballs!
    2. Portion out the meatballs. I like to use a cookie scoop for this to ensure all my balls are even.
    3. Roll the meatballs. Gently between the palms of your hands to get that perfect, round meatball shape.
    4. Bake the meatballs. On a parchment lined baking sheet. Baking the meatballs will result in tender, juicy meatballs without standing over a stove and browning.
    5. Serve the meatballs. On a bed of sauced spaghetti. Or in a big pan of tomato sauce with homemade garlic bread on the side.
    A glass mixing bowl filled with the ingredients for venison meatballs.
    Add the ingredients to a large bowl.
    Gently mix the meatballs by hand.
    Shape the meatballs.
    Place on a baking tray.
    Bake the meatballs.
    Serve venison meatballs on top of spaghetti.

    Properly seasoning meatballs

    It can be tricky getting seasoning right when you can "taste as you go" on the recipe. But there's a trick to making sure your meatballs are properly seasoned and perfectly flavorful every time!

    To test the seasoning of your deer meatballs before baking the entire tray, scoop a small amount of meat and roll into a ball. Cook the mini meatball in a skillet set over medium heat with a touch of oil until browned and cooked through.

    Once the tester meatball has cooked, allow it to cool slightly before taking a bite to taste test. Adjust seasoning as necessary before baking the rest of the meatballs!

    The trick to tender meatballs

    As with any sort of “mixed meat” meal (like a venison burger or a venison meatloaf), the trick to making sure meatballs are tender and not tough is that less is more when it comes to mixing and handling.

    Turn the ingredients in the mixing bowl just enough to combine. Roll the meatballs in your hands just enough to get them to hold together. Too much mixing, too much futzing and the meatballs will be more like meat bricks.

    An overhead shot of a white plate filled with spaghetti and topped with venison meatballs recipe and a sprig of basil.

    Freezing Cooked Meatballs

    This recipe makes 24 ground deer meatballs. That’s a lot to have in one go. This means one of two things: either you have enough meatballs for a party or, you’ll need to freeze the leftovers.

    Yes, you can freeze meatballs! Just like you can freeze venison meat sauce! Here’s how:

    • When the meatballs are totally cooled to room temperature, place them in even rows in a freezer-safe zip top bag.
    • Remove all the air and seal.
    • Be sure to label and date the bag so you know exactly what you have in your freezer!

    To thaw the frozen meatballs: Remove them from the freezer and place in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. The next day toss them into your favorite tomato sauce to warm before serving.

    Or! Microwave frozen meatballs for 90 seconds and place on top of a plate of spaghetti.

    An overhead shot of a white plate filled with spaghetti and venison meatballs. A fork is on the plate wrapped with spaghetti and spearing a meatball.
    A white banner with black lettering and stars asking readers to leave a recipe rating or comment.

    Watch the recipe video!

    A white plate filled with spaghetti and venison meatballs and garnished with a fresh basil leaf.
    Print Recipe
    4.20 from 5 votes

    Ground Venison Meatballs

    Made with fresh ground venison and sausage and filled with classic Italian flavors this recipe makes the ultimate meatball that’s perfect for a plate of spaghetti!
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time30 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Keyword: Venison, Venison Meatballs, Venison Recipe
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 233kcal
    Author: Amanda Gajdosik
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Baking sheet
    • Portion Scoop

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground venison
    • 1 pound ground pork sausage
    • ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
    • ½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
    • ½ cup basil leaves torn
    • 2 tablespoon minced garlic
    • ½ cup diced white onion
    • ¼ cup whole milk
    • 1 large egg
    • 2 ½ tsp. kosher salt
    • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or tinfoil sprayed with cooking spray and set aside.
    • Place the ground venison and pork sausage in a large glass bowl and add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.
    • Gently combine all the ingredients with two (clean!) hands. Mix the meat until just combined, as over-mixing will lead to tough meatballs.
    • Use a 2 tablespoon portion scoop to divide mixture into 24 equal balls. Roll the balls gently between the palms of your hands to ensure they’re even and spherical.
    • Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
    • Serve meatballs on top of a big plate of spaghetti.

    Video

    Notes

    • To freeze cooked meatballs: place room temperature meatballs into a freezer-safe zip-top bag, remove the air from the bag, seal, and freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using or microwave straight from the freezer for 90 seconds before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2meatballs | Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 791mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 2mg

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    4.20 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Amanda

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