How to Make Homemade Venison Ricotta Ravioli

Making pasta with venison is one of the most delicious way to enjoy it, but turn it into homemade venison ricotta ravioli and it is on another level! This pasta dish is as homemade as it gets from fresh sourdough pasta, to a creamy ricotta filling and a roasted tomato venison sauce. Ultimate perfection if you ask me!

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Moose or venison pasta is a weekly staple in our house. It is filling, nourishing and always hits the spot. Most often we make fettuccini noodles but when I have a little extra time this homemade ricotta ravioli is absolutely on the menu!

To make this pasta, you start with a simple sourdough pasta dough. If you do not have sourdough starter, just made a standard pasta dough without it. You roll that dough into sheets then fill it with a creamy ricotta and parmesan filling that is heavenly. Then, cut it into whatever shape raviolis you like.

For the sauce (arguably the best part) you start by roasting tomatoes, onions and garlic until blistered and caramelized. Blend all of those delicious vegetables up with some spices and fresh basil, then stir in a ton of tender cooked venison or other wild game meat. A blend of simple, nourishing ingredients coming together to make an irresistible pasta dinner.

Tips for Making Perfect Venison Ricotta Ravioli

1. When making homemade pasta I always recommend using a 00 Flour. It is a soft flour that will make getting a smooth dough and nice tender pasta much easier. I never make homemade pasta without it.
2. For the sauce, you can use whichever kind of tomatoes you prefer. We love to make pasta sauce out of cherry tomatoes for their sweetness but also use Romas. I use all the tomatoes from our garden that we have stored in the freezer.
3. It can take a bit of practice to find the perfect amount of filling for each ravioli. You want enough, but not too much that they burst open.
4. When blending your sauce, make sure you use a good quality immersion blender or normal blender. This will help give you the most smooth and delicious sauce possible without have to waste all that time peeling or seeding your tomatoes.

Venison Ricotta Ravioli Ingredients

Homemade Pasta– You can use any recipe you like for the pasta. My homemade sourdough pasta recipe is my favourite for this dish.

Ground Venison– Any kind of ground game meat that you have can be used in this pasta sauce. Venison, elk, moose, etc.

Tomatoes– As mentioned above you can use any tomatoes you like for this sauce. I recommend either cherry tomatoes or Romas for a nice sweet sauce.

Garlic– You need a whole head of fresh garlic to add great flavor to the sauce.

Onion– White or yellow onion is best.

Basil– Fresh basil is used in both the ricotta filling and the venison tomato sauce. It adds a vibrant fresh flavor.

Ricotta Cheese– A smooth ricotta cheese brings a light creaminess to the ravioli.

Parmesan– I like the addition of parmesan cheese with the ricotta for a depth of flavor and some good saltiness.

Egg– You need just 1 egg in the ravioli filling to help bind it together.

Italian Seasoning– Using a blend, keeps it nice and simple when seasoning this dish.

Dried Oregano– Just a touch of dried oregano is added to the sauce and the filling. If you don’t have this you can skip it.

The Steps

1. Start by preheating your oven to 410F.
2. To a baking sheet, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic. Drizzle with a couple tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for about 30 minutes or until golden and blistered.

1. Next, in a small bowl. stir together all of the ricotta filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
2. Then make the pasta dough as per the sourdough pasta instructions stopping after you roll the pasta into sheets. If you do not have sourdough you can use any homemade pasta recipe.
3. Once you have pasta sheets, lay 1 over your ravioli mold then add a spoonful of the filling to each square. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the ravioli mold, then lay another pasta sheet on top.

1. Taking the wood rolling pin, roll over top of the ravioli to cut the pasta. Flip it upside down and let the raviolis fall out onto a floured counter.
2. If you do not have a ravioli mold- lay your sheet of pasta onto a floured counter. Drop a spooful of filling onto the pasta, every couple inches. Then wet your finger and run it over the edges of the pasta and lay another pasta sheet on top. Smooth the pasta over top of the filling, then using a pizza cutter, cut in between each blob of filling to cut your raviolis!
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add in the raviolis and boil just until tender about 5 minutes. Strain and set aside.
4. While the pasta boils, brown the meat in a skillet over medium heat with a couple tbsp of oil, 1 tsp each salt and pepper and 1 1/2 tbsp of the Italian seasoning. Once fully cooked, remove from the heat.
5. Finally, take the pan of roasted tomatoes and scraped it all into a blender or a bowl with an immersion blender.
6. Add in the 1/3 cup fresh basil, 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning, chili flakes, a pinch of salt and pepper and about 1/2 a cup of hot water. Blend everything together until nice and smooth. If it still seems pretty thick, add in a touch more water.
7. Take your cooked venison and stir it into the sauce, then serve the raviolis up with a generous serving of the sauce and top with some fresh parmesan. Enjoy!

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

Looking for more tasty wild game recipe to try?

https://cmbarndominium.com/insanely-good-venison-chili/

https://cmbarndominium.com/easy-delicious-maple-venison-sausage-breakfast-sandwich/

https://cmbarndominium.com/whipped-feta-and-hot-honey-steak-bowls/

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