Last December I was able to travel to my cousin’s ranch near Cross Plains, Texas to help cull does and a few management bucks. My dad and I had great hunts and were fortunate to return home with 4 deer which means….a LOT of venison meat! Cooking wise I am normally a creature of habit – I stick to what I know: meat/rice/veggies, the occasional crockpot stew, and salads galore.
With all this venison, though, I have been trying to get creative and out of my comfort zone to try something new. I absolutely LOVE Mexican food and could literally eat it every day – so of course, I had to try something in that category. These Venison Stuffed Bell Peppers are one of the easiest meals that I have prepared, and I will definitely be adding them to my normal rounds of meal prepping. They were delicious!
As for creating a recipe, I will admit that I am more of an eye-ball-it kind of “chef” and cross my fingers that it works! However, this is a recipe where you can honestly use however much (or little) of each ingredient as you like as well as switch out the vegetables. I love options! Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground venison (or ground wild game of choice)
6 bell peppers (any color – I mixed it up to make it fun!)
1 medium onion
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup corn
1 Roma tomato, diced
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup choice of rice (I used Jasmine)
1 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used the Mexican Style Blend)
1 avocado
Tabasco or Cholula Hot Sauce for an extra kick!
1 lime
Plain Greek yogurt (for a healthier alternative to sour cream)
Spices:
Pink Himalayan salt
Fresh ground pepper
Garlic (a lot!)
Chili powder
Smoked Paprika
Turmeric
Cumin
Oregano
Italian seasoning
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook rice per brand instructions.
While the rice is cooking, season venison with salt, pepper & garlic. Cook on medium-high heat to begin browning. After 5 minutes, add onion, mushrooms, celery, and corn. Continue to cook on medium-high heat until vegetables have softened.
Once vegetables have softened, add Roma tomato and tomato paste. Add all seasonings (the more the merrier!) and hot sauce if preferred. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Stir in cooked rice and cook for another few minutes until rice is warmed.
While the meat mixture is cooking, cut off the tops of the bell peppers and core out the seeds and ribs.
TIP: Place in a microwave-safe dish, lightly salt the bell peppers and add ¼ cup of water, and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave bell peppers for 5 minutes to help soften them.
Once the meat mixture is finished and bell peppers have been microwaved, fill each bell pepper with the meat and rice mixture and transfer to a 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is browned and bell peppers are tender.
Serve warm with diced avocado, lime, and plain Greek yogurt.
Follow Ashton on Instagram at @ashton.dippel.