Creamy Ricotta Venison Cannelloni

You can’t beat a creamy stuffed pasta and this Ricotta Venison Cannelloni is such an easy one to make! A creamy pesto ricotta filling stuffed into cannelloni pasta, smothered in a meaty tomato sauce. True perfection.

Pasta night with venison is a weekly occurrence for us, sometimes even several times a week. While we love a classic spaghetti or fettuccine, stuffed cannelloni is a delicious dish to switch things up. It is fresh, creamy, comforting and gives you a ravioli feel without as much work!

This dish may look complicated, but it is actually very easy to make. You start with the filling. It is a simple combination of creamy ricotta cheese, pesto and fresh parmesan. Then you take that and stuff it into uncooked cannelloni pasta. Make sure you buy the oven ready ones because then you don’t even have to boil the pasta first. Finally, the pasta gets topped with a homemade roasted tomato basil venison sauce, then baked until golden.

If you love lasagna then this is a great recipe to try! It can be baked then stored in the freezer for an easy make ahead meal and it makes delicious leftovers. You can use any kind of ground wild game meat you have for this ricotta venison cannelloni and it will be devoured.

Tips for Making Ricotta Venison Cannelloni

1. Make sure you are buying the “oven ready” cannelloni pasta. This makes it so that you do not have to pre boil the pasta ahead of time. They are easier to stuff when they are hard and saves some more time too.
2. When you are filling the cannelloni, you want to stuff it as much as you can. As the pasta cooks, it will expand so stuff them nice and full.
3. Before baking the pasta dish, ensure that all of the noodles are covered in the sauce. This way there is enough moisture surrounding the noodles so that they cook all the way through.

Ricotta Venison Cannelloni Ingredients

Cannelloni Pasta– As mentioned above you want to buy the ones that say “oven ready” on the box.

Ricotta Cheese– Smooth ricotta is what you want.

Pesto– You can use homemade or store bought. Whichever is your favorite.

Ground Venison– This can be ground venison, moose, elk, beef etc.

Parmesan– Fresh grated parmesan adds extra creaminess and rich flavor to the filling.

Tomatoes– Romas or cherry tomatoes are my personal favorite for the sauce.

Garlic– You want a whole head of garlic for the sauce as it gets more mild when roasted.

Onion– White or yellow onion is fine.

Basil– I love adding fresh basil to the sauce, but you can also sub with a bit of pesto if you don’t have fresh basil.

Italian Seasoning-This blend keeps it nice and simple without needing a bunch of different spices.

Egg– You need just one egg to help give the filling some structure.

Mozzarella Cheese– I like to top the pasta off with some fresh mozzarella cheese, or extra grated parmesan before baking.

The Steps

1. Start by preheating your oven to 400F.
2. Then, add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for about 30 minutes or until the garlic is roasted and the tomatoes are blistered.
4. While to tomatoes cook, stir together the ricotta cheese, egg, parmesan and 2-3 tbsp pesto.
5. Next, take one noodle at a time, and fill it full with the ricotta mixture. I like to use a piping bag, or you can use a large zip lock bag and cut the corner.
6. Then set those aside. To a large skillet over medium high heat, add a couple tbsp of oil, then the ground meat.
7. Brown until cooked through, seasoning with 2 tsp pItalian season and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper as it cooks. Once the meat is cooked and crumbly, remove it from the heat.
8. Finally, take the cooked vegetables and scrape them all into a blender or bowl with a hand blender.
9. Add in the remaining sauce ingredients, then blend until smooth. Taste the sauce then add any more salt if needed. Stir the cooked meat into the sauce.
10. Turn your oven down to 350F.
11. Grab a 9×13 casserole and spoon a layer of sauce over the bottom.
12. Lay the stuffed cannelloni over the sauce, evenly spread out, then pour the remaining sauce over top.

1. Finish the pasta off by sprinkled the shredded mozzarella over top, and baking until the pasta is tender. About 25-30 minutes.
2. Allow the pasta to rest for 5-10 minutes then serve warm. Enjoy!

If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or a recipe review below!

Looking for more pasta recipes to try with your wild game?

https://cmbarndominium.com/easy-flavourful-cowboy-butter-steak-pasta/

https://cmbarndominium.com/to-die-for-creamy-venison-stuffed-shells/