Field to Table: Wild Meatball Tortellini
Field to Table: Wild Meatball Tortellini
This is hands down one of the easiest and tastiest wild game meals we have ever made in camp. The prep is super simple thanks to a couple of pre-made ingredients and the total cook time is less than 15 minutes.
To keep things simple we suggest using store-bought tortellini and a packet of beef gravy. The important thing to figure out is the right amount of packet gravy to use. For this recipe, we used one packet that made 1¼ cup of gravy. We also doubled the amount of water the packet calls for to account for the evaporation during cooking.
The meatballs can be made up to a day ahead and stored in a cooler until ready to cook. The ground meat used in this recipe came from a moose taken in Northern B.C. last fall but any ground game meat will work.






Ingredients:
Spice Mix
- 1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp Fennel seed, crushed
- 2 Tsp Chili flakes
- 2 Tsp Onion powder
- 1 Tsp Garlic powder
Other
- 16 oz Ground game meat
- 2 Tsp Seasoning salt
- 1 Portuguese bun, torn into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup Parmesan, grated
- 3 Tbsp Oil
- ½ Onion, small dice
- 2 Kale leaves, de-stemmed and rough chopped
- 1 Packet Instant gravy (makes 1¼ cup gravy)
- Store-bought cheese tortellini
- Parmesan for garnish






Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Make the spice mix ahead of time.
- Mix the Portuguese bun, milk, egg, ground parmesan, and seasoning salt in a bowl and mash into a paste.
- Combine the bread mixture and ground meat and mix well.
- Portion the meat mixture into 2-ounce meatballs and flatten slightly on two sides.
- Add the oil to a hot pan and brown the meatballs on both sides, approximately 3 minutes total.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and set them aside.
- Sauté the diced onion for 2 minutes until translucent.
- Add the chopped kale to the pan and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add 3 cups of water and the required amount of packet gravy mix.
- Return the meatballs to the pan, add the tortellini and simmer until everything is cooked. Add water as needed so the gravy coats everything once fully cooked.
- Finish the dish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and serve.