Venison simmered in a rich and flavorful red wine tomato sauce until fall-apart tender, creating the most cozy and delicious venison ragù. Made with venison roast, tomatoes, red wine, and dried herbs. Simmer the ragù on the stove-top or in the slow cooker. Serve with pasta and crusty bread for a hearty dinner that the whole family will love!
I feel like ragù is one of those dishes that sounds fancy and complicated, when in fact it's quite simple! You only need 25 minutes of prep time for the most delicious results. Trust me, this is a must-make and so easy!
Depending on time, this recipe can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. I love to simmer the ragù in a dutch oven on the stove, but the slow cooker is an excellent choice when you have a busy day. Just set it and forget it!
And if you've got more venison roast that you want to make good use of, you absolutely have to make my Slow Cooker Venison Roast - it has so many 5 star reviews! You won't regret it.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Minimal prep time. All you need is 25 minutes of prep time to chop a few vegetables, sear the venison, and deglaze the pot. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until the venison is fork-tender.
- Flavorful tomato sauce. Tomatoes, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and herbs combine with seared venison to create a flavorful tomato sauce that you'll love.
- Tender venison. Venison roast simmers for hours, making it incredibly tender.
- No gamey taste. Simmering venison with lots of acidic ingredients, such as balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, and red wine, drastically tames that rich wild game flavor that's often described as gamey. The venison in this ragù could easily be mistaken for beef. The same can be said about my easy crockpot venison roast or my beer braised venison, both of which have many rave reviews!
Ingredient notes
- Venison roast: This recipe is written using a boneless roast that is cut into 2-3 inch pieces, but a bone-in roast will work too! Just leave it whole, and just know that you may need to adjust the cook time. The meat is done when you can easily pull it apart with a fork.
- Red wine. Wine brings a depth of flavor to the sauce and adds a touch of sweetness. If you need a non-alcoholic option, try substituting with a splash of pomegranate, cranberry or red grape juice and more beef broth, or just use beef broth.
- Balsamic vinegar. Highly recommended! It brings acidity to the dish, helping to balance out the flavors of the venison and tomato sauce while also helping to tenderize the venison.
- Granulated sugar. This is truly optional, but I like to add a hint of sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. You could try swapping for honey.
How to make venison ragù on the stovetop
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions.
Step 1: Season and sear the venison. In a hot dutch oven, sear the venison in oil until a deep golden brown on all sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot, which will cause the venison to steam rather than sear. Searing the venison adds lots of flavor to this ragù.
Step 2: Cook the vegetables. Cook onion, carrot and celery in the same pot that you used to sear the venison. The vegetables are finely chopped, so you will barely be able to tell they're in the sauce (aside from the flavor they add) after they simmer for hours. Once they're soft, add in garlic and tomato paste.
Step 3: Deglaze the pot. Slowly pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot. This helps to loosen up all the burnt bits off the bottom of the pot, adding flavor to the sauce. Add the remaining ingredients.
Step 4: Simmer. Simmer over low heat on the stove for about 3 hours or until the venison is fork tender.
How to make venison ragù in the slow cooker
Simmering in the slow cooker takes about 6-8 hours, so start the ragù in the morning, set it, and forget it until dinner time!
Before slow cooking the ragù, I recommend searing the venison and cooking the vegetables on the stove before adding to the slow cooker. This only takes about 15 minutes, and I promise the results will be worth it. If you have a slow cooker with a sauté function, that's perfect and you should definitely use that! You could even do this the night before.
- Step 1: Season and sear the venison. I know this requires you to dirty a pot, but I still recommend searing to get a nice golden brown on all sides. Searing the venison adds lots of flavor to this ragù. Transfer the seared venison to the slow cooker.
- Step 2: Cook the vegetables. Cook onion, carrot and celery in the same pot that you used to sear the venison. This gives the vegetables a head start, so they can break down in the sauce. Mix in garlic and tomato paste.
- Step 3: Deglaze the pot. Slowly pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot. This helps to loosen up all the burnt bits off the bottom of the pot, adding flavor to the sauce. At this point, you can cover the slow cooker and store in fridge overnight.
- Step 4: Transfer to the slow cooker. Transfer the contents of the pot to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients. Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours for the most tender results.
If slow cooker deer recipes are you're jam, you'll love my deer roast made in the crockpot!
Serving
Ragù is commonly served with pappardelle, a thick wide pasta, but it can be hard to find at the grocery store. So feel free to substitute any pasta of choice, such as tagliatelle, fettuccine, bucatini, or a shortcut pasta, such as rotini or penne.
I always recommend cooking your pasta in salted water, adding extra flavor. I add about 1 tablespoon of salt to a large pot of water. Cook the pasta till al dente so it doesn't fall apart when added to the sauce! When the pasta is al dente it'll be soft but still have a firmer bite to it.
You can toss the pasta with the pot of ragù sauce, or divide the pasta between plates and top with the ragù. Top the pasta with freshly shredded parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce. My Easy No-Knead Crusty Bread is great with ragù, or if sourdough is your thing, I have an overnight sourdough bread recipe with rave reviews!
Expert tips
- Sear the venison. I know it's tempting to skip this step, especially if you're using the crockpot method, but if time allows, I recommend it. It makes both the venison and the sauce more flavorful.
- Don't overcrowd the pot. When you sear the venison, be careful not to overcrowd the pot, which will cause the venison to steam rather than sear.
- Deglaze the pot. This step is equally as important as searing the venison. When the venison sears, it leaves little browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. When you pour the red wine into the hot pot, it deglazes the pot by creating steam and releasing those browned bits. This process also adds extra flavor to the ragù.
- Cook the pasta al dente. You want the pasta to be soft but have a firmer bite to it so it doesn't fall apart when you toss it with the pasta.
Frequently asked questions
Ragù is an Italian meat-based tomato sauce that is commonly served with pasta. Ragù is made with red wine, whereas bolognese is made with white wine. Ragù is a heavy tomato-based sauce, and bolognese is made with very little tomato. Ragù typically features small chunks of vegetables, such as onion, carrots, and celery, but in bolognese, the vegetables are mashed into the sauce.
Roasts can come from the rump, neck, or shoulder of the deer. Deer roasts can be bone-in or boneless. I like to use a boneless roast for this recipe, but bone-in will also work great!
Substitutions and variations
- Red wine. If you need a non-alcoholic option, try substituting with a splash of pomegranate, cranberry or red grape juice and more beef broth, or just use beef broth.
- Make it spicy. Add some red pepper flakes to add a little heat to sauce.
- Venison roast. While this recipe was tested with deer roast, it would work great with any venison roast, such as elk.
- Add heavy cream or butter. To give the sauce a bit of a creamy texture, add a splash of heavy cream or a couple of tablespoons of butter to the ragù once it's finished cooking.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Make ahead
The ragù meat sauce can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, heat the ragù on the stove until hot while you cook the pasta.
Storing and reheating
If you think you'll have leftovers, I recommend keeping the pasta and ragù separate, otherwise the pasta will absorb a lot of the sauce and become mushy. You could always toss half the ragù and half the pasta together while leaving the rest separate for storing.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until warm.
Freezing
The ragù meat sauce can also be frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
More venison recipes you'll love
Shredded Venison Ragù (Slow Cooker Option)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pound venison roast cut into large 2-3 inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to season the venison
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more to season the venison
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound pasta such as pappardelle or preferred pasta
- freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving
- crusty bread for serving
Instructions
Stove-Top
- Pat the venison dry and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a dutch oven with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the venison and sear on all sides until browned, about 4-5 minutes in total. Remove to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook for another minute.
- Slowly pour in the red wine while scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. The wine should sizzle as it hits the pot. If it doesn’t, turn up the heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Return the venison to the pot and reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cover and simmer for about 3 hours, or until the venison is fall-apart tender and the sauce has reduced. If the sauce reduces too much, add in a splash of water or more beef broth.
- Remove the venison and shred with two forks, then return to the pot. Adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.
- Bring a lot pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Toss the pasta with the sauce or divide the pasta between plates and top with the sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
Slow Cooker
- Pat the venison dry and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a dutch oven with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the venison and sear on all sides until browned, about 4-5 minutes in total. Remove to the slow cooker.
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook for another minute.
- Slowly pour in the red wine while scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. The wine should sizzle as it hits the pot. If it doesn’t, turn up the heat. Transfer to the slow cooker. At this point, you can cover and store in the fridge overnight if needed, then slow cook in the morning.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and mix to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the venison is fall-apart tender.
- Remove the venison and shred with two forks, then return to the pot. Adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.
- Bring a lot pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Toss the pasta with the sauce or divide the pasta between plates and top with the sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
Notes
- Red wine. If you're looking for a non-alcoholic option, try substituting with a splash of pomegranate, cranberry or red grape juice and more beef broth, or just use beef broth.
- Pasta: Ragù is commonly served with pappardelle, a thick wide pasta. The ragù clings to the wide noodles, but it can be hard to find at the grocery store. So feel free to substitute any pasta of choice, such as tagliatelle, fettuccine, bucatini, or a shortcut pasta, such as rotini or penne.
- Sear the venison. I know it's tempting to skip this step, especially if you're using the crockpot method, but if time allows, I recommend it. It makes both the venison and the sauce more flavorful.
- Don't overcrowd the pot. When you sear the venison, be careful not to overcrowd the pot, which will cause the venison to steam rather than sear.
- Deglaze the pot. This step is equally as important as searing the venison. When the venison sears, it leaves little browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. When you pour the red wine into the hot pot, it deglazes the pot by creating steam and releasing those browned bits. This process also adds extra flavor to the ragù.
- Cook the pasta al dente. You want the pasta to be soft but have a firmer bite to it so it doesn't fall apart when you toss it with the pasta.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated by a third party software and is only an estimate, not a guarantee. This information is provided as a courtesy, and you are solely responsible for all decisions related to your health.
Rachel Kochlin
I really hope you give my Venison Ragù a try and love it as much as I do! It's an easy yet impressive dish with rich, bold flavors—kind of like an elevated spaghetti that your whole family will rave about. Plus, it’s super flexible! You can let it simmer for a few hours on the stove or cook it all day in the slow cooker, depending on what works best for you. If you do try it, I’d love to hear what you think—please leave a review! - Rachel
Brooke
This was great! Very tasty and easy to make as most ingredients are pantry staples for me. The kids even liked it! Thanks a lot!
Modern Farmhouse Eats
Brooke, I'm so glad everyone loved it!! That's a win. Thanks so much for giving my recipe a try and leaving a review!