This is one of my favorite midweek recipes for ground venison because I can whip it up quickly and it makes enough for leftovers that just get better with time. Lean venison is preferred, but if you do have fat mixed into your ground, just drain the excess once you have browned the meat. This works with ground deer, antelope, elk or whatever lean ground meat you have available.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground venison (I have used 1.5 lbs in this recipe as well)
- 1 can of Ranch Style Beans
- 1 large bag of tortilla chips
- 1 can of Ro-tel
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 2 cups of shredded cheese (use your favorite Mexican blend of cheese)
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
- 1 4 oz can of diced hatch chilis (I like hot, but you can use mild)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and heat a large skillet with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Cook the onions until translucent, add the ground meat and cook until browned. Stir in beans, ro-tel, taco seasoning, diced chilis and cream of chicken soup. Stir and simmer for a few minutes over medium heat until it is well combined and heated through.
Grease a 9X13 casserole dish and put down a layer of roughly crushed tortilla chips to establish a bottom crust. Next spoon over the meat mixture on top of the tortilla chips to fill the pan. Spread 1.5 cups of shredded cheese over the meat and cover the cheese with a top layer of rough crushed tortilla chips. Use the remaining half cup of cheese to sprinkle across the top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 5 minutes of baking.
Let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Top with your favorite hot sauce, salsa or sour cream and enjoy!