Venison Sausage Smothered in Italian Tomatoes and Onions

Venison sausage smothered in Italian tomatoes and onions really is the ultimate comfort food. Food and memories go hand in hand. I think that when we associate food with a happy, pleasant, love-filled time in our life, we automatically tend to love that meal.

One of my most treasured memories happens to be my dad standing over the stove slow cooking grits (polenta for some of you), caramelizing onions for the sauce, and browning the spicy sausage to top the creamy grits. To this day, the mere smell of sausage generates a feeling of comfort and safety somehow.

Just the sound of this dish is comforting…Venison Sausage with Onions and Tomato Sauce over Creamy Grits! You can use Kielbasa sausage and get similar results. Don't let anything interfere with you making this dish.
Just the sound of this dish is comforting…Venison Sausage with Onions and Tomato Sauce over Creamy Grits! You can use Kielbasa sausage and get similar results. Don’t let anything interfere with you making this dish.

Make Venison Sausage—and Make Memories with Your Family

I think my dad was happiest when he was preparing meals for the table, especially “breakfast” meals. Come to think of it, even today, cooking with and for my family brings me some of the greatest pleasures in life. I hope this dish will play a part in some fond memories for your family.

I feel that venison has a distinct flavor that makes this dish special. However, you certainly can use lamb or beef as a substitute for venison in this venison sausage recipe. For a really quick fix, you can purchase Kielbasa Sausage from the market as a substitute for preparing your own sausage.

It is really much easier than you think to prepare sausage. The variations and results are endless and can be quite amazing.

Getting a Sausage Grinder or Using Your Mixer

You can use your stand mixer with the food grinder attachments, or you can go all out and buy a grinder. If you are going to invest in a meat grinder, I think you should at least get a 1/2 horsepower grinder.

Getting Sausage Casings

There are all kinds of casings out there, but I find that these natural casings are the best for the money.

I usually prepare my sausage when we process our deer. Often, I underestimate how much we are going to need for the year. We made 40 pounds of sausage just 3 weeks ago, and yet now we only have about 6 pounds left. Luckily, I leave most of the roasts from the hindquarter whole so that I can process it or use it any way that I please throughout the year.

I use this sausage recipe for additions to chili, beans and rice, or to spice up my collards. Taken out of the casing, you also can use it for lasagna, spaghetti , or Bolognese.

For me, one of the joys about this venison sausage dish is that most every ingredient has been harvested by our family. It is so cool to me that we can provide directly from our gardens, or the woods and fields, everything for the table.

To this end, learning the “how tos” of preserving has been an extremely rewarding and delicious process.

I am writing 4 more sausage recipes that I can’t wait to share with you. For now, Happy Cooking!

For my breakfast sausage recipe, click here.

Venison Sausage Smothered in Italian Tomatoes and Onions

Preparing your own sausage is easier than you might think. Although you can use lamb or beef as a substitute for venison in this sausage recipe, I feel that venison has a distinct flavor that makes this dish special.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

The Sausage

  • 4 pounds venison scraps, run through the largest holes of grinder.
  • 2 pounds of lean bacon (no nitrates), run through the same grinder., no nitrates
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • ½ tablespoon pepper
  • ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
  • ½ cup Italian parsley
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 8 ounces sausage casings (about 8 feet)
  • Preparation:

Tomato and Onion Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, ½ inch diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup red wine
  • ¼ cup Italian parsley

Instructions
 

The Sausage

  • In a large bowl, mix the venison and bacon with your hands until well blended.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix just until blended.  Chill mixture for 30 minutes.
  • Set up a sausage stuffer and attach the casing to the funnel feeder.  Begin stuffing the sausage into the casing and twist every 4 inches.  Keep the diameter about 1 inch to insure proper cooking.  Prick sausage with a pin all over.  Chill until ready to cook.

Tomato and Onion Sauce

  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in 10 to 12 inch sauté pan.  Add half the sausage links to the pan.  Cook over low heat, turning frequently, until browned on all sides.  Transfer to a plate.  Brown remaining sausage links and transfer to plate.
  • Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same pan sausage was cooked.  Add onions and garlic to the pan and cook until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • In a small bowl mix tomato paste, stock, and red wine and mix well.  Add mixture to the pan.  Scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer.  Return sausage to the pan, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through.  Stir in parsley and serve over Cheesy Grits.
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Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

 

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7 Comments

  1. Mike Cipriani says:

    Sure wish I had some venison, I will have to use store bought sausage.

    1. Stacy Harris says:

      I know you will still enjoy this recipe! Venison is wonderful, but if you don’t have any, you will still love it using other sausages.

  2. I found you while searching for recipes for homemade venison sausage. Your video was the only one that wasn’t a demo using a packaged mix. Ick. This is perfect! I would love to see more sausage recipes using stuff I harvest from garden.

    1. Stacy Harris says:

      I am so glad that you found the site. I have a great sausage article that I will be posting in the next few weeks. It has a few more recipes and lots of information. Please keep watching my Youtube channel and subscribe so you don’t miss them. Let me know any posts that you would like me to work on.

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