Cheesy Venison and Shells

This meal is straight up comfort food. Its cheesy and creamy and oh so delicious. The meal reminded me of eating hamburger helper as a child, but so much better. I would certainly recommend serving this meal to your entire family as it is filling and easy to make. My 8-year-old crushed the plate you see in the photo.

Don’t worry about those jalapenos. Once they are roasted, they lose much of the spiciness. I just roasted mine on the stovetop in a pan, rotating them once the skin became blackened. If you wanted to add some extra flavor to this meal then would could substitute the stock for beer and stir in a little German mustard. Enjoy!

Serving Size: 4-6 servings

Time to make: 45 minutes

Special Equipment: Stove top

Also works with: Any Ground Meat

Ingredients:

½ lbs large pasta shells

1 tbsp oil

1 lbs ground venison

1 large shallot, minced

4 garlic cloves

2 roasted jalapenos, seeded and minced

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp smoked paprika

1.5 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp flour

1 cup of wild game stock (sub beef broth)

1 cup of pasta sauce

¾ cup heavy whipping cream

8 oz block of mild cheddar, grated

Minced parsley for garnish

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How to make it

1. Cook your pasta al dente and set aside
2. Bring a large skillet or pot to medium high heat
3. Add oil, shallot, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently
4. Add ground venison and season with Italian seasoning, salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Allow the meat to brown. You will see some browning on the bottom of the pan. That is the good stuff that will help flavor the dish.
5. Stir in the flour and allow to brown for 1 minute. Add the wild game stock and to deglaze the pan. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. The stock should thicken slightly in just a couple of minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low and add the pasta sauce, heavy whipping cream, and cheese. Stir well until the cheese is fully melted and incorporated into the mixture.
7. Serve immediately and garnish with minced parsley.