Casseroles #2 Wild Rice and Venison Casserole

Finding and getting good recipes for game meat can be a challenge, let's face it, it's not as if Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray are using venison and elk on their shows. What I have found in cooking with these meats over the years is that most recipes that call for beef can be substituted with deer and elk with just a few minor changes. If the recipe you are using calls for ground beef just trade straight across the same amount of ground venison or elk and continue on with the recipe. For using elk or venison roasts in a crock pot it will cook best if the roast is not completely thawed all the way through and is marinated for a few hours before put in the crock to cook. Doing these two steps helps to keep the meat tender and moist. If you are wanting venison or elk steaks it is key to marinate them overnight or at the very least that day. As for cooking the steak that is done just like a beef steak, but they taste the best when they are cooked only to a medium doneness at the most as past that it tends to dry out the meat. So there is my advice and knowledge of cooking with venison and elk, now on to the recipe.


I use a cast iron dutch oven in this recipe so that everything is cooked in one pot from stove top to oven. If you do not have cast iron just use a skillet on the stove top and a casserole dish in the oven.

Wild Rice and Venison Casserole

1 lb ground venison or elk
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (or long grain and wild rice blend)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup water
1 chopped onion
3 tablespoons soy sauce

1) Brown venison in a dutch oven. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
2) Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, uncover and cook another 30 minutes.

Serve with your families favorite veggies, some bread and you are ready to go.