Fettucine Alfredo Topped with Crispy Venison Parmesan and Marinara

What’s better than fettucine alfredo? Pasta with rich, creamy alfredo sauce is the ultimate Italian comfort food. But what if you top that alfredo sauce with crispy Venison Parmesan? And for extra deliciousness, why not top your venison (or veal or chicken) with zesty marinara sauce?

That’s what I thought when I came up with this dish. I was pregnant with my 3rd child, soon to be my 1st girl. I was craving every kind of Italian food and couldn’t decide which to make. So why not combine my two favorites — fettucine alfredo and chicken parmesan? And why not make it with venison?

The result, I’m happy to say, is pure perfection. If you love the veal or chicken Parmigiana and fettucini alfredo at Italian restaurants like Olive Garden©, you are going to love love this. Truly, this recipe is like getting both mouthwatering dishes on one plate.

You can watch me make this fettucine alfredo recipe on the Oct. 31 episode of The Sporting Chef. In case you miss it, I’ll be giving you step-by-step cooking instructions below.

This recipe takes a little time, but it’s easier than you might think. It’s worth every bit of effort, especially for the holidays or another special occasion. Why not treat yourself?

As a wild-game cook, I always choose venison or free-range chicken, beef, or pork over other options. But you can make this recipe with whatever meat you like, or even go with eggplant.

The venison portion of this recipe is based on a recipe from my first cookbook, Tracking the Outdoors In.

What is Traditional Alfredo Sauce Made Of?

The traditional Italian sauce for fettuccini alfredo is really very simple. Classic alfredo sauce is just butter, Parmesan cheese, pasta water for the liquid, and salt. But this recipe takes alfredo to a whole other level of creaminess and flavor.

True, this dish is not for an everyday diet. I couldn’t eat this way all the time, but we all need holiday and birthday treats. This special-occasion recipe includes cream cheese and heavy cream, a Parmesan Romano cheese blend, and fresh and ground garlic. You only live once, right?

How to Make Homemade Fettucine Alfredo with Venison Parmesan and Marinara

Step 1: Prep: Get Your Groceries and Equipment Together

I know it’s obvious, but it’s all too easy to start cooking and realize you’ve forgotten a key ingredient. With this multi-part recipe, you’re going to want to make sure you have everything on hand.

Equipment-wise, you’ll need a saucepan for each of the sauces and a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan for the venison Parmesan. An immersion blender or food processor is definitely your friend for making marinara sauce from scratch.

You’ve likely got some dry fettuccini pasta sitting in the pantry. If you can’t eat traditional wheat flour pasta for some reason — for example, if you’re gluten intolerant — feel free to substitute the pasta of your choice.

The recipe below includes amounts to make about 8 servings of the fettucine alfredo, venison Parmesan, and alfredo sauce. You can always refrigerate unused portions, but you may want to make half — or twice! — as much. Just click the number under Servings to adjust all the ingredients accordingly.

Step 2: Make the Pasta

Make your fettuccini al dente, literally “to the tooth” in Italian. Al denta pasta is still firm; you have to bite into it. Be sure to save some of the pasta water in case you need to loosen the alfredo sauce.

Step 3: Make the Marinara Sauce

In a medium saucepan, add the oil and onions and cook over low to medium heat until translucent, about 6 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes. With an emersion blender or food processor, puree tomato mixture and adjust seasonings.

Step 4: Make the Fettucine Alfredo Sauce

In another saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the cream cheese and heavy cream. Whisk continuously until melted.

Whisk in the minced garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Add the cheeses and parsley and mix to combine. Continue to stir for about 3 minutes, or until it begins to thicken. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

Step 5: Prepare the Venison Parmesan

Although I give detailed steps in this recipe, you may want to click on over to my earlier Venison Parmesan post for more cooking tips and FAQs.

1. Slice venison into 1-inch slices and pound each slice to ¼-inch thickness.
2. On a plate, mix flour, salt, and pepper. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, mix Panko and Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving.
3. Lightly dredge venison in the flour mixture, then the egg wash, and then the Parmesan Panko mixture.
4. Heat oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan. Cook for about 2 minutes over medium-high heat on each side or until browned. Place cooked venison on a cooling rack set over a sheet pan.

Step 5: Plate Your Fettucine Alfredo with Venison Parmesan and Marinara Masterpiece

In a large bowl, mix the fettuccini and alfredo sauce until well combined. If you need to loosen the sauce, add a little water sauce from the reserved pasta water.

Divide the pasta alfredo among 6 plates. Divide sliced venison among the plates over the alfredo and top with marinara sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and parsley over the top of each dish and dig in.

Fettucine Alfredo Topped with Crispy Venison Parmesan and Marinara

5 from 2 votes

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Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 24 ounces dry fettuccini pasta

For the Marinara

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion diced
• 4 clove garlic finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. fresh tomatoes or 1 28-ounce can tomatoes chopped with their juices
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 3 basil leaves chopped

For the Alfredo

• ½ cup butter
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup Romano cheese
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup parsley chopped plus more for serving

For the Venison

• 2 lbs venison loin
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs dried and seasoned
• Olive oil and Butter for frying
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for serving

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccini and cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain in a colander over a bowl to save some of the pasta water in case you want to loosen the alfredo.

For the Marinara

• In a medium saucepan, add the oil and onions and cook over low to medium heat until translucent, about 6 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes. With an immersion blender or food processor, puree tomato mixture and adjust seasonings.

For the Alfredo Sauce

• In another saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted add the cream cheese and whipping cream. Whisk continuously until melted.
• Whisk in the minced garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Add the cheeses and parsley and mix to combine. Continue to stir for about 3 minutes, or until it begins to thicken. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

For the Venison

• Slice venison into 1-inch slices and pound each slice to ¼-inch thickness.
• On a plate, mix flour, salt, and pepper. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, mix Panko and Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving.
• Lightly dredge venison in the flour mixture, then the egg wash, and then the Parmesan Panko mixture.
• Heat oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan. Cook for about 2 minutes over medium-high heat on each side or until browned. Place cooked venison on a cooling rack set over a sheet pan.

To Plate

• In a large bowl, mix the fettuccini and alfredo sauce until well combined. If you need to loosen the sauce, add a little water sauce from the reserved pasta water.
• Divide the pasta alfredo among 6 plates. Divide sliced venison among the plates over the alfredo and top with marinara sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and parsley over the top of each dish and dig in.

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