The Best Italian Venison Meatballs with Ricotta & Pesto

Whether you are looking for an incredible appetizer or meal to enjoy this Winter, you have to try these Italian Venison Meatballs with Ricotta & Pesto! They are seasoned to perfection and rest in a fresh roasted tomato marinara sauce, with ricotta cheese and homemade pesto on top.

It is no secret that making meatballs with your ground venison is delicious. However, I can almost guarantee you have never made any as delicious as these. This meatball recipe is inspired by the meatballs we had at a little Italian restaurant and they are absolutely to die for!

These Italian Venison Meatballs are easy to make and completely homemade. They start by mixing some ground meat with spices, parmesan and bread crumbs. Sear those until golden and tender on the stove. While that’s cooking, you make a roasted tomato marinara sauce using just a couple fresh ingredients. Finally, you spoon that sauce over the meatballs, then top them off with creamy ricotta cheese and a homemade pesto. Every single bit of flavor in this combo is incredible!

I love these Italian Venison Meatballs because they can be served many ways. You can enjoy them served as is for an appetizer. Maybe you want to add them on top of your favorite pasta for a hearty and filling dinner. Or serve them along side a salad for a lighter dinner or lunch. Whichever way you choose to enjoy these meatballs will be loved by all.

Tips For Making Perfect Italian Venison Meatballs

1. If you can, I always recommend making your wild game meatballs with ground that has at least 10% pork or beef fat added. This will help keep those meatballs juicy and tender.
2. When you are frying up the meatballs, start with a high heat for a couple minutes each side to give you a golden crust. Then turn the heat down and allow them to finish cooking slowly so they cook evenly and don’t become over cooked and dry.
3. For the marinara sauce, give the vegetables amble time in the oven to get blistered and roasted to perfection. This will add more flavor and sweetness to your sauce.

Italian Venison Meatballs with Ricotta & Pesto Ingredients

Ground Venison- You can make this recipe with ground venison or any other ground wild game meat you have on hand.

Parmesan Cheese– Use freshly grated for the best flavor and texture inboth the meat balls and pesto.

Bread Crumbs– These help bind the meat balls. If you are gluten free you can use gluten free bread crumbs.

Egg- Another ingredient used as a binder in the meatballs. The yolk with also help with tenderness and flavor.

Italian Seasoning– This is the main spices in the meatballs to keep things nice and simple.

Garlic– Fresh garlic will be added to the meatballs, marinara sauce and the pesto.

Onion- White or yellow onion is fine.

Tomatoes– Roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes are my favorite for a roasted sauce.

Basil– You will need a good amount of fresh basil for your pesto sauce and some to add to the marinara.

Olive Oil– This is a key ingredients in making a nice smooth pesto. You can sub with avocado oil if that is all you have, but olive oil will give the best flavor.

Lemon– Just a touch of fresh squeezed lemon juice cuts the richness in the pesto.

Walnuts– You can use walnuts or pine nuts in your pesto. Pine nuts are my preferred, but I often use walnuts because I always have them on hand.

Ricotta Cheese- The addition of smooth ricotta cheese on top of these meatballs adds a fresh and creamy component that is delicious.

Sugar- Adding just the tiniest amount of sugar to the marinara sauce helps cut the acidity.

Dried Oregano– I use this is combination with the fresh basil in the marinara. If you do not have dried oregano you can sub with more Italian seasoning.

The Steps

1. Start by preheating your oven to 400F.
2. Then, add the tomatoes, onion, and 4 cloves of garlic to a large rimmed baking sheet, Drizzle over a couple tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and blistered.
4. While to vegetables roast, make the pesto.
5. Add all of the pesto ingredients in a blender or a large jar with an immersion blender and blend until smooth or no chunks of basil and garlic remain. Set aside.
6. Next, add all of the meatball ingredients into a mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until well mixed.
7. Scoop the meat into roughly 24 meatballs.
8. Then, heat a large skillet over medium high heat with a couple tbsp of oil.
9. Place the meatballs in the skillet and cook for a couple minutes on each side to get a nice golden crust, then turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid and allow them to finish cooking. They are done when the internal temp reaches 165F. Then turn off the heat.

1. After the vegetables are roasted, add them to a blender or bowl with an immersion blender.
2. Add in the 1/4 cup fresh basil, sugar, oregano and some salt. Blend the sauce until nice and smooth. Taste it, and add any more salt if needed.
3. Finally, pour the marinara sauce over the pan of meatballs.
4. To serve as an appetizer, spoon a dollop of ricotta cheese and pesto on top of each meatball then serve with tooth picks or small forks.
5. To serve as dinner, spoon the meatballs, along with the sauce over your favorite pasta, then top the meat balls with a dollop of ricotta cheese and pesto. Enjoy!

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

Looking for more tasty recipes to make using your ground venison or wild game meat?

https://cmbarndominium.com/easy-venison-breakfast-sausage-rolls/

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

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

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