A little heat and a lot of savor in this ground venison green chile enchilada casserole. Layers of ground venison, green chile enchilada sauce, and melty quesadilla cheese! An easy ground venison recipe that’s perfect for weeknight dinners.
If you love Mexican food, then you’ll love this ground venison green chile enchilada casserole. These are a staple in our house, along with our ground venison blend enchilada casserole, and easy elk enchiladas. The secret ingredient is in the cheese – so don’t skip out or replace that ingredient!
Ingredients needed
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 15 oz. can black beans – drained
- 1 10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes
- 2 – 15 oz. cans green chile enchilada sauce – divided
- 12-18 corn tortillas
- 10 oz. Oaxaca or Quesadilla cheese – shredded
- Red pepper flakes – optional
How to make venison green chile enchilada casserole
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground venison and begin to brown. About halfway through cooking the meat, add the salt, pepper, and cumin, and continue browning until cooked through.
- Drain and rinse the can of black beans, then add to the pan with the ground venison. Add the can of Rotel and one whole can of green chile enchilada sauce. Stir to combine and let cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Grease the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Add 1/4 cup of the green chile enchilada sauce and spread to cover the entire bottom of the dish.
- Add a layer of corn tortillas, about 4-6.
- Add 1/2 of the ground venison mixture and spread to cover the tortillas.
- Cover the meat layer with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
- Drizzle 1/4 cup green chile enchilada sauce over the cheese.
- Repeat with another layer of corn tortillas. Then, add the remaining meat mixture and spread to cover. Cover with another 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
- Top with one final layer of corn tortillas. Drizzle the remaining green chile enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with the remaining 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
- Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if preferred, and bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Remove, let rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
Recipe FAQs and Notes
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can fully assemble this ground venison blend enchilada casserole the night before and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to bake.
What if I cannot find Oaxaca or Quesadilla cheese?
You should be able to find either cheese in most grocery stores. You may need to look in the cheese section of the deli area, or in the Mexican food section. You can substitute with shredded mozzarella.
How do I get ground venison to not taste gamey?
I’m sure you’re familiar with people saying venison and other wild game meat tasting “gamey.” The “gamey” flavor actually comes from a variety of factors, including the diet of the deer, the processing of the meat, the season in which the animal was harvested (i.e., if the male deer was in rut), the age of the animal, and more. Outside these factors, venison will not taste exactly like beef, so if you’re expecting that, you’ll be in for a surprise. However, I’ve also found how the meat is cooked can also greatly reduce any strong gamey flavor.
If you’ve had a bad experience with venison tasting “gamey”, there are a few things you can try.
- If it’s your kill/harvest, do your research on proper field dressing, bleeding, and processing to know what elements can affect the flavor of the meat during these.
- Purchase ground venison from a company like The Honest Bison. By doing this, you’ll ensure the meat was properly processed and see if you experience a noticeable difference in the taste and texture.
Recommended kitchen resources for this recipe
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Enjoy these additional ground venison recipes!
Venison Green Chile Enchilada Casserole
A little heat and a lot of savor in this ground venison green enchilada casserole. Layers of ground venison, green chile enchilada sauce, and melty quesadilla cheese! An easy ground venison recipe that's perfect for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 15 oz. can black beans - drained
- 1 10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes
- 2 - 15 oz. cans green chile enchilada sauce - divided
- 12-18 corn tortillas
- 10 oz. Oaxaca or Quesadilla cheese - shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground venison and begin to brown. About halfway through cooking the meat, add the salt, pepper, and cumin, and continue browning until cooked through.
- Drain and rinse the can of black beans, then add to the pan with the ground venison. Add the can of Rotel and one whole can of green chile enchilada sauce. Stir to combine and let cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Add 1/4 cup of the green chile enchilada sauce and spread to cover the entire bottom of the dish.
- Add a layer of corn tortillas, about 4-6.
- Add 1/2 of the ground venison mixture and spread to cover the tortillas.
- Cover the meat layer with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
- Drizzle 1/4 cup green chile enchilada sauce over the cheese.
- Repeat with another layer of corn tortillas. Then, add the remaining meat mixture and spread to cover. Cover with another 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
- Top with one final layer of corn tortillas. Drizzle the remaining green chile enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with the remaining 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
- Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if preferred, and bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Remove, let rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Substitute with shredded mozzarella if you're unable to find Oaxaca or Quesadilla cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 473Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 1079mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 10gSugar: 8gProtein: 30g
The recipes included on this website are written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist or medical professional, and the nutritional data on this site have not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist, registered dietician, or other medical professionals.
Primal Pioneer is a food blog and public land hunting resource by Mike and Jennifer Shreckengost. We’re a husband and wife team who combined their two passions – a love of the outdoors and food – into a joint effort with Primal Pioneer! You’ll find resources on planning and executing your own DIY over-the-counter public land big game hunt, along with wild game recipes featuring mostly venison and elk.
Trying this recipe tonight! Can’t wait to see how it is
This recipe is delicious!
Oh my! What a tasty delight. This will now become one of our staples. Thank you for sharing.
Made this last night for dinner. Tweaked just a little bit to use ingredients I already had – red enchilada sauce instead of green, a diced jalapeño instead of green chili’s. Also added garlic. Really delicious. Thanks for sharing. My family gave it 10 out of 10.
Hi I am looking forward to trying this recipe. I bought the corn tortillas should they be crunchy? The ones I bought are soft, I hope it turns out.
Super delicious!! Excellent recipe. Easy to follow and turned out so good. Thank you!
Hi! I’m curious if you have tried freezing this after assembled. Do you know if it would turn out ok?
Turned out really well! Great recipe for using up ground venison in the freezer and most of the other stuff we keep on hand in the pantry. I did double the cheese, because who doesn’t love melty oaxaca?