Venison Quesadilla

I often hear people say they just have too much ground venison left from last season and are tired of the same two recipes they use it for. It seems that for some reason the only recipes they use venison for are the ones they got from a friend or relative and never really allow their mind to venture away from these tried and true recipes. The best way to overcome this common problem is to treat your venison just like beef and any recipe you use beef for you can use your ground venison.

I know what some of you are saying, well of course, but there are those that really never thought of it that way. I know this because when I mention pizza, hamburgers or this recipe for quesadillas they look at me like I’m crazy. They soon realize, after eating a few of my cheesy venison quesadillas, why not make quesadillas with my ground venison. This recipe is delicious and was my way of using up the last of my ground venison before hopefully restocking the freezer with fresh venison come October.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. ground venison
• 1 package taco seasoning
•  green bell pepper, chopped
• yellow bell pepper, chopped
• red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 8 inch flour tortillas
• 1 pack shredded cheese
• Jalapeño peppers, optional
• Guacamole
• Sour cream
• Salsa

BUILDING YOUR CHEESY VENISON QUESADILLAS

1. In a skillet heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add your ground venison and cook on medium heat. Once the venison is browned, add the taco seasoning and stir into the meat and turn the heat down to let the seasoning meld with the venison while you prepare your peppers and onion.

2. Chop your peppers and onion and place them into a skillet with a tab of butter and cook to translucency. You can add your veggies to the meat to cook if you like, but I prefer to use them as a separate addition to my quesadilla. The flavor of the vegetables seems to stand out more this way. Add some jalapeños to your peppers and onion if you like.

3. Preheat your skillet or quesadilla maker and spray with non-stick spray. Lay your bottom tortilla down and layer evenly with shredded cheese, then add the venison and vegetables. To make it even cheesier add some more shredded cheese on top. You can put the ingredients on half of your tortilla and fold the other half onto it, like an omelet. Or, you can layer the whole shell and place another whole shell on top. It’s easier to do the omelet style if you’re using a skillet or a griddle. It makes it easier to turn the quesadilla. If you’re lucky and have a quesadilla maker, you can build an 8 inch quesadilla and the machine cooks both sides for you. It works great. Once your tortilla shells have browned on both sides cut them into the classic quesadilla wedges and serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream and enjoy.