Venison Tortellini Soup

By Jeff Benda

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www.WildGameandFish.com

Serves 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

This easy Venison Tortellini Soup is loaded with delicious ground venison and pillowy ravioli and comes together in just 30 minutes for a quick weeknight meal the entire family will love!

It continues to be bitterly cold here in North Dakota so my wife and daughter requested a tomato soup for supper to help warm them up. I assumed the star of this perfect winter soup would be the rich tomato and beef broth. However, my wife absolutely loved the cheesy pasta goodness that came with every spoonful. And my 8-year-old daughter’s favorite ingredient was the chunky deer burger she slurped up while listening to me repeat the tale of how I stalked this particular mule deer out in the Badlands of North Dakota.

Using simple ingredients that take little effort to prepare means I get to enjoy more quality time at the dinner table with the family. And now that the long hunting season away from them has come to an end, I cherish moments and meals like this. I hope you and your loved ones will enjoy this Venison Tortellini Soup as much as we did.

If you are looking for another great soup so you can use some of that ground venison in your freezer, you can also check out my Venison Stuffed Cabbage Soup.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground venison
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces refrigerated cheese ravioli
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 

Instructions

1. Season the ground venison with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add the olive oil, ground venison, and diced onion to a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
2. Add the minced garlic and sauté another 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the tortellini and the other 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook another 5 minutes.
5. Divide into soup bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of freshly grated parmesan and serve immediately.