If you know someone who is curiously apprehensive about trying venison meat, this venison Margherita meatball recipe is for them. Hearty, juicy, and flavorful meatballs served in a thick Margherita inspired sauce–these are guaranteed to satisfy you.

Juiciest Venison Margherita Meatball
This venison margherita meatball is packed with flavors that you will definitely love. Check out the easy recipe here.
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion - quartered
3 cloves garlic - minced
2 cups milk
2 medium eggs
2 teaspoons dried oregano
25 grams salt
3 grams ground black pepper
10 leaves basil
3 sprigs rosemary
1 sprig dried oregano
⅓ cup white wine
Sauce Ingredients
1 medium onion - diced
5 cloves garlic - minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
28 ounces tomatoes - diced
10 leaves basil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
1-2 sprigs rosemary
5 ½ ounces tomato paste
Instructions
Meatball Instructions
- Make sure the venison meat and pork fat are extremely cold. I usually work with partially frozen meat because it’s easier to cut and grind.
- Cut the meat, pork fat, and onion into chunks large enough for your meat grinder. Add them to a large bowl with the minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, rosemary, and chopped basil leaves. Mix the everything with your hands until the spices are evenly distributed on the chunks of meat and fat.
- In another bowl, combine eggs and milk. Add the panko crumbs and set the bowl aside to do its thing.
- Grind the meat, fat, and onion chunks. I prefer using medium grind, but you can vary this depending on texture preferences.
- Take the bowl of ground bear meat and mix in the wine, vinegar, and wet panko crumbs. Mix with your hands. If your hands aren’t hurting from the cold at this time, the meat is probably too warm.
- Place the mixture in the fridge to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes while you start the sauce preparation.
- Form the meatballs using your hands and set them aside on a tray.
- Take a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet and fry the meatballs in a thin layer of olive oil.
- Once they begin to pull together, flip them and cook on the other side. Continue flipping every few minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fry the meatballs in batches. Do not crowd the pan. Set them aside on a sheet or plate as you go.
Sauce Instructions
- Use olive oil or butter to caramelize the onions in a large dutch oven.
- Add all of your remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and adjust salt level based on personal preference.
- Add the fried meatballs to the bottom of the dutch oven and use a large spoon to cover them in the sauce gently. Let the sauce to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with spaghetti.
Nutrition
Calories: 983kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 45gFat: 77gSaturated Fat: 30gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 31gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 238mgSodium: 1940mgPotassium: 1215mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1372IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 181mgIron: 7mg
How did this recipe turn out for you?We’re eager to hear your thoughts!