Venison Spanish Rice

This is a quick and easy, one-pot recipe that substitutes ground venison for ground beef. The tomatoes give it a Spanish take and depending on your preference of heat, you can spice it up a bit by adding your favorite hot peppers like chopped jalapenos or red chilies. You can also use brown rice instead of white, if you prefer a healthier blend of rice. The bacon adds a bit more flavor and leaving the grease in the pan helps cook the venison, which is lean and has no fat.

If you have any leftover rice, store in the refrigerator and heat up the next day, as it will absorb more of the flavors as it sits. This recipe works well with a side of cornbread.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. of ground venison
• 1 cup of onions chopped
• 1 cup of bell peppers chopped
• 6 bacon strips uncooked
• 2 10-oz. cans of diced tomatoes and chilies
• 1 tbs. garlic powder
• 1 tbs. onion powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tbs. chili powder
• 2 cups of rice uncooked
• 5 cups of water
• Nonstick cooking spray

Utensils

• Dutch oven or large soup pot

Directions

1. Spray a Dutch oven or large soup pot with nonstick cooking spray. Slice bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry in pot until done. Remove the cooked bacon pieces leaving the grease in pot.
2. Add the ground venison into the pot with the bacon grease and cook until done and brown.
3. Add water, diced tomatoes and chilies, chopped onions and bell peppers, garlic, onion and chili powders, rice and bacon pieces. Stir well to mix.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce heat to medium-low to simmer.
5. After approximately 15-minutes, stir the venison rice mixture and taste. Add the desired amount of salt and pepper.
6. Place the lid back onto the pot and continue simmering the rice mixture for another 15 to 20 minutes. It is done when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Recipe makes approximately six servings.

Tip

If you have a leftover cooked venison roast, you can substitute it for the ground venison. Make sure to shred the meat or chop it into small pieces before adding it to the rice mixture. You can skip the step for cooking the meat, if you use venison that is already cooked.