Manicotti is one of my favorite types of pasta to eat. The perfect ratio of meat and cheese filling inside of a giant shell provides the ideal combination of ingredients in every bite. This simple yet delicious recipe has all of your favorite Italian flavors - creamy and rich ricotta cheese, fresh basil, tomato sauce and butter. I used our free range ground elk for this recipe instead of the traditional beef. I loved how it turned out - our elk is delicately flavored and tender. I’m confident this would taste amazing with any of our ground meats, whether you choose elk, bison, American Wagyu beef, wild boar or lamb. In fact, this would be an excellent dish to cook with our bison or beef primal blend. These specially formulated ground blends contain 20% organ meat to give you all of the nutritional benefit without sacrificing flavor.

Also Read: Elk Osso Buco: A Wild & Tender Twist On The Italian Classic

Elk Meat Raised The Way Nature Intended

Our elk live completely free range, roaming on 20,000 to 100,000 acre ranches. We source from two locations, one being the Rocky Mountains of the United States. The other source that fit our strict quality standards was an elk ranch in the pristine mountain valleys of New Zealand. They wander as they please, grazing and foraging as they engage in all of their natural instinctive behaviors. As with all of our meat, these animals are never administered hormones, antibiotics or steroids of any kind. Elk is some of the most delicious and healthy meat you can eat, considered by many to be the most heart healthy meat in existence. Chefs love using our elk for its delicate flavor and outstanding tenderness.

Also Read: Traditional Cabbage Rolls With Elk And Wild Boar Bacon

Ingredients:

(Serves 6)

• 4 teaspoons melted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground elk
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz manicotti pasta, uncooked
• 1 15oz container ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jar marinara sauce

Also Read: Slow Cooked Elk Osso Buco With Beer, Sage & Shallots

Instructions:

1. Heat a teaspoon of butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion and sauté for a couple minutes, then add in the ground elk. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat into crumbles. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook just until the meat is browned and the onions are tender. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside to cool.
2. Grease a baking sheet with one teaspoon of melted butter. Set aside.
3. Cook the manicotti pasta in a large pot of salted water. This will not be to cook the noodles completely but rather to pre-cook them slightly. Cook for approximately 4 minutes until only slightly softened. Remove from the pot and set aside on the prepared baking sheet.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1 cup Parmesan and all of the chopped fresh basil and minced garlic. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the meat mixture to the cheese mixture and combine.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with the remaining melted butter. Add half of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish. Use a spoon to fill the manicotti with the meat and cheese mixture. Place the filled manicotti in one layer on top of the marinara sauce, followed by the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly over top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

The Beck & Bulow Team Is Here To Help

At Beck & Bulow, we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service. We’re always here to help if you have any questions regarding your meat, want help making selections, or are just looking for some cooking tips. Every time you call our office, you’ll be directly connected with one of our team members right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we’re based.

Also Read: Homemade Nebraska Stuffed Meat Sandwiches With Elk

Every cut of meat is pressure sealed and flash frozen immediately after butchering at the peak of freshness. We work exclusively with master butchers who make every cut with care and precision. All orders are hand packed at our Santa Fe warehouse, shipped in a reusable cooler with dry ice and delivered straight to your doorstep. Check out our selections of humanely raised chicken, elk, bison, beef, lamb, wild boar, pork and seafood.

Salisbury steak is a classic American dish that’s been around for over 100 years. Rather than being a steak, like the name implies, it’s a hamburger patty. The patty is made with the same ingredients as meatloaf or meatballs, and a delicious gravy mixture along with golden brown onions and mushrooms over top. There are loads of delicious flavors in this dish and if you like things like meatloaf, you’ll love Salisbury steak. The key (as always with cooking) is using great ingredients. The bison bone broth really takes this dish to the next level, although if you don’t have any on hand you can definitely substitute for any other broth or use a bouillon cube.

Also Read: Elk Osso Buco: A Wild & Tender Twist On The Italian Classic

A Classic American Dinner Recipe

This is the perfect main dish to serve alongside mashed potatoes for a classic American dinner that will remind you of your grandma’s house (in the best way!). Salisbury steak traditionally calls for lean ground beef, but I used our delicious ground elk instead. Elk is naturally lean, full of flavor and naturally tender. This would be great with any of our ground meats however, and I’m looking forward to trying it with ground bison next. It’s a really satisfying dinner that has tons of flavor, protein and other nutrients.

Also Read: Traditional Cabbage Rolls With Elk And Wild Boar Bacon

Elk Raised The Way Nature Intended

Our elk live completely free range, roaming on 20,000 to 100,000 acre ranches. We source from two locations, one being the Rocky Mountains of the United States. The other source that fit our strict quality standards was an elk ranch in the pristine mountain valleys of New Zealand. They wander as they please, grazing and foraging as they engage in all of their natural instinctive behaviors. As with all of our meat, these animals are never administered hormones, antibiotics or steroids of any kind. Elk is some of the most delicious and healthy meat you can eat, considered by many to be the most heart healthy meat in existence. These animals live essentially wild with minimal handling. Chefs love using our elk for its delicate flavor and outstanding tenderness.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds ground elk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 ¼ cups assorted mushrooms of choice
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 1 ⅔ cups bison bone broth
• ½ cup Italian herb bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided

Also Read: Homemade Nebraska Stuffed Meat Sandwiches With Elk

Instructions:

1. In a dry cast iron skillet, cook the mushrooms for a couple minutes to cook out some of the moisture (don’t cook them all the way yet). Set the mushrooms aside. Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until golden brown, fragrant and tender. Add the mushrooms back in and cook for approximately 4-5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the skillet and set the mixture aside on a plate.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground elk with ¼ cup bison bone broth, all of the bread crumbs, and the egg. Season as desired with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine thoroughly, but don’t overmix. Form six equally sized patties with the mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of the bone broth, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and Dijon mustard.
4. Heat the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the patties on both sides. Spread the onion and mushroom mixture evenly over each patty. Pour the bone broth mixture into the skillet. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the meat reaches desired doneness. Remove from the heat and let rest for approximately 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Don’t Hesitate To Reach Out To Our Team

At Beck & Bulow, we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service. We’re always here to help if you have any questions regarding your meat, want help making selections, or are just looking for some cooking tips. Every time you call our office, you’ll be directly connected with one of our team members right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we’re based.

Also Read: Melt In Your Mouth Elk Short Ribs In the Instant Pot

Every cut of meat is pressure sealed and flash frozen immediately after butchering at the peak of freshness. We work exclusively with master butchers who make every cut with care and precision. All orders are hand packed at our Santa Fe warehouse, shipped in a reusable cooler with dry ice and delivered straight to your doorstep. Check out our selections of humanely raised chicken, elk, bison, beef, lamb, wild boar, pork and seafood.

Osso buco is one of my favorite dishes, and making it in the Instant Pot is my new go-to method. Prepared this way, you can have delicious osso buco ready to eat in about an hour and a half. I like to have mine with potatoes and parsnips, but you could use any variety of vegetables you prefer. What really makes osso buco so ridiculously good is the flavorful meat and marrow from the bones. Everything cooks together into a rich, mouth watering tomato based sauce full of wonderful herbs and orange zest for an added zing of citrus. A generous splash of apple cider vinegar really rounds out the flavor.

Also Read: Delicious Baked Ziti With Wild Boar & Elk Meatballs

An Indulgent Meal That’s Healthy, Too

The aroma when this is cooking is incredible. Serve over mashed potatoes, couscous, rice or whatever grain you prefer. This is so easy to make yet an impressive dish to serve guests or treat your loved ones. It’s one of my favorites for winter and is very nourishing as well. The vegetables, bone broth, lean elk meat and added nutrients from the bone marrow combine to make a meal that’s not only extremely tasty but also very nutritious.

Also Read: Homemade Pot Stickers With Chinese Five Spice Ground Elk

Elk That Are Raised The Way Nature Intended

Our elk live completely free range, roaming on 20,000 to 100,000 acre ranches. We source from two locations, one being the Rocky Mountains of the United States. The other source that fit our strict quality standards was an elk ranch in the pristine mountain valleys of New Zealand. They wander as they please, grazing and foraging as they engage in all of their natural instinctive behaviors. As with all of our meat, these animals are never administered hormones, antibiotics or steroids of any kind. Elk is some of the most delicious and healthy meat you can eat, considered by many to be the most heart healthy meat in existence. Chefs love using our elk for its delicate flavor and outstanding tenderness.

Ingredients:

• 8 cuts elk leg shanks (osso buco)
• 1 tablespoon bison tallow, divided + more as needed
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 parsnips, chopped
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.5 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups bison bone broth + more as needed
• 2 tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste
• Zest of one orange
• 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Also Read: Incredibly Delicious Bison & Elk Sloppy Joes Recipe

Instructions:

1. Gently pat the osso buco dry. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the ⅓ cup flour to a small dish and coat the osso buco on all sides, shaking off the excess.
2. Turn on the Sauté function of the Instant Pot. Add in ½ tablespoon bison tallow. When hot, sear the osso buco, working in batches. Set aside on a plate as you sear them.
3. Add more bison tallow as needed to sauté the onions, parsnips and potatoes. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the minced garlic, thyme, oregano and basil to the pot. Stir and cook for a couple more minutes. Turn off the sauté function.
5. Add the seared elk osso buco back into the pot, along with the tomato paste, bison bone broth, apple cider vinegar and orange zest. Season as desired with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
6. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 1 hour.
7. When finished cooking, carefully use the pressure valve to release the pressure.
8. Serve and enjoy immediately garnished with chopped parsley.

Also Read: Thick & Hearty Southwestern Texas Style Spicy Elk Chili

Don’t Hesitate To Reach Out To Our Team

At Beck & Bulow, we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service. We’re always here to help if you have any questions regarding your meat, want help making selections, or are just looking for some cooking tips. Every time you call our office, you’ll be directly connected with one of our team members right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we’re based.

Every cut of meat is pressure sealed and flash frozen immediately after butchering at the peak of freshness. We work exclusively with master butchers who make every cut with care and precision. All orders are hand packed at our Santa Fe warehouse, shipped in a reusable cooler with dry ice and delivered straight to your doorstep. Check out our selections of humanely raised chicken, elk, bison, beef, lamb, wild boar, pork and seafood.