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Venison sloppy-joe flatbread slices with melted cheese, red onion, cilantro and sauce

Venison Sloppy Joe Pizza

  • Course

    Main

  • Duration

    30 minutes

  • Serves

    Makes 4 small flatbread pizzas (4 as a main, 8-10 as an appetizer)
Chef’s notes

This Super Bowl Sunday, indulge family and friends with wild game for the big game. This appetizer uses the Sloppy Joe recipe I shared last week, spread on naan flatbreads with cheese and red onion. Think of this as a barbecue chicken pizza, but with ground venison instead of chicken.

Ingredients

Sloppy Joes

  • 1 lb. ground venison
  • 2/3 cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Pizza

  • 4 large, pre-made Naan flatbreads
  • 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • Cilantro to serve
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

Also works with

Any ground wild game

Special equipment

Oven, sauté pan

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil shimmers, add the ground venison and brown.
  3. Remove the venison and set aside. Add another drizzle of oil if needed and sauté the diced red onion until brown and soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional minute.
  4. Deglaze the pan with water and vinegar. Incorporate the ketchup, sugar, and all the spices. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for a few minutes to thicken. Return the venison and stir. The mixture should be pretty saucy.
  5. Spread equal portions of the venison Sloppy Joe mixture across each flatbread. Cover with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with sliced red onion.
  6. Transfer the flatbreads to the oven. For a crispy pizza, place them directly on the rack. For a softer dough, place onto a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
  7. Slice and serve with fresh cilantro.

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Venison Sloppy Joe Pizza

Recipe by: Danielle Prewett
Venison sloppy-joe flatbread slices with melted cheese, red onion, cilantro and sauce

  • Course

    Main

  • Duration

    30 minutes

  • Serves

    Makes 4 small flatbread pizzas (4 as a main, 8-10 as an appetizer)
Chef’s notes

This Super Bowl Sunday, indulge family and friends with wild game for the big game. This appetizer uses the Sloppy Joe recipe I shared last week, spread on naan flatbreads with cheese and red onion. Think of this as a barbecue chicken pizza, but with ground venison instead of chicken.

Ingredients

Sloppy Joes

  • 1 lb. ground venison
  • 2/3 cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Pizza

  • 4 large, pre-made Naan flatbreads
  • 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • Cilantro to serve
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

Also works with

Any ground wild game

Special equipment

Oven, sauté pan

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil shimmers, add the ground venison and brown.
  3. Remove the venison and set aside. Add another drizzle of oil if needed and sauté the diced red onion until brown and soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional minute.
  4. Deglaze the pan with water and vinegar. Incorporate the ketchup, sugar, and all the spices. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for a few minutes to thicken. Return the venison and stir. The mixture should be pretty saucy.
  5. Spread equal portions of the venison Sloppy Joe mixture across each flatbread. Cover with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with sliced red onion.
  6. Transfer the flatbreads to the oven. For a crispy pizza, place them directly on the rack. For a softer dough, place onto a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
  7. Slice and serve with fresh cilantro.