This hearty venison casserole is slow-cooked in a rich red wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms, and redcurrant jelly. It’s packed with deep flavors, making it perfect for a cozy dinner. Serve it with new potatoes and wilted spinach for a complete meal!

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Ingredients Needed:

1 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz butter
2 onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped
500g/1Ib 2oz chestnut mushrooms, halved
2.5kg/5½lb haunch or shoulder of venison diced
½ bottle of red wine
400ml/14fl oz water
2 beef stock cubes, crumbled
3 tbsp redcurrant jelly
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
50g/2oz cornflour
punnet redcurrants, to decorate
6 sprigs of rosemary or thyme, to decorate

To serve:

new potatoes
wilted spinach

How To Make Venison Casserole Recipe?

Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 150°C.
Sauté the onions: Heat olive oil and butter in a large casserole dish over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft.
Cook the bacon and mushrooms: Add garlic, bacon, and mushrooms. Stir and cook for another minute.
Brown the venison: In a frying pan, brown the venison in batches, then transfer to the casserole dish.
Add liquid and seasoning: Pour in red wine and water. Add crumbled stock cubes, redcurrant jelly, salt, and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Slow-cook the casserole: Cover with a lid and place in the oven. Cook for 90 minutes.
Thicken the sauce: Mix cornflour with 2 tbsp water to make a paste. Stir into the casserole a little at a time until the sauce thickens.
Simmer on the hob: Place the casserole on the hob over low heat and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick.
Serve and garnish: Serve hot with new potatoes and wilted spinach. Garnish with redcurrants and rosemary or thyme.

Recipe Tips:

Brown the venison in batches: If you add too much meat at once, it won’t brown properly and will release too much liquid. Browning in small batches gives the best flavor.
Use the right cut of venison: Haunch or shoulder is the best choice because they become tender when slow-cooked. Avoid lean cuts, as they can turn dry and tough.
Don’t skip the redcurrant jelly: This adds a slight sweetness that balances the rich venison and wine sauce. If you don’t have redcurrant jelly, try cranberry sauce as a substitute.
Thicken the sauce slowly: Add the cornflour paste a little at a time and stir well. If you add too much at once, the sauce can become too thick or lumpy.
Let the casserole rest before serving: After cooking, let the casserole sit for 5–10 minutes. This helps the flavors blend and makes the sauce richer and smoother.

How To Store & Reheat Leftovers?

Refrigerate: Let the venison casserole cool down before storing. Put it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Once cooled, place the casserole in a freezer-safe container. Leave some space for the sauce to expand. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Pour the casserole into a pot and warm it over low heat, stirring occasionally. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or broth to loosen it.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 450 kcal
Total Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 120mg
Sodium: 600mg
Potassium: 900mg
Total Carbohydrate: 10g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 50g

Try More Nigella Lawson Recipes:

Nigella Turkey Curry Recipe
Nigella Leftover Chicken Pie Recipe
Nigella Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Nigella Venison Casserole Recipe

Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

minutes

Calories

450

kcal

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz butter
2 onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped
500g/1Ib 2oz chestnut mushrooms, halved
2.5kg/5½lb haunch or shoulder of venison diced
½ bottle of red wine
400ml/14fl oz water
2 beef stock cubes, crumbled
3 tbsp redcurrant jelly
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
50g/2oz cornflour
punnet redcurrants, to decorate
6 sprigs of rosemary or thyme, to decorate
To serve:
new potatoes
wilted spinach

Directions

Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 150°C.
Sauté the onions: Heat olive oil and butter in a large casserole dish over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft.
Cook the bacon and mushrooms: Add garlic, bacon, and mushrooms. Stir and cook for another minute.
Brown the venison: In a frying pan, brown the venison in batches, then transfer to the casserole dish.
Add liquid and seasoning: Pour in red wine and water. Add crumbled stock cubes, redcurrant jelly, salt, and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Slow-cook the casserole: Cover with a lid and place in the oven. Cook for 90 minutes.
Thicken the sauce: Mix cornflour with 2 tbsp water to make a paste. Stir into the casserole a little at a time until the sauce thickens.
Simmer on the hob: Place the casserole on the hob over low heat and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick.
Serve and garnish: Serve hot with new potatoes and wilted spinach. Garnish with redcurrants and rosemary or thyme.

Notes

Brown the venison in batches: If you add too much meat at once, it won’t brown properly and will release too much liquid. Browning in small batches gives the best flavor.
Use the right cut of venison: Haunch or shoulder is the best choice because they become tender when slow-cooked. Avoid lean cuts, as they can turn dry and tough.
Don’t skip the redcurrant jelly: This adds a slight sweetness that balances the rich venison and wine sauce. If you don’t have redcurrant jelly, try cranberry sauce as a substitute.
Thicken the sauce slowly: Add the cornflour paste a little at a time and stir well. If you add too much at once, the sauce can become too thick or lumpy.
Let the casserole rest before serving: After cooking, let the casserole sit for 5–10 minutes. This helps the flavors blend and makes the sauce richer and smoother.