Grilled Summer Tomato and Venison Casserole

Summer is a time of garden plenty. Tomatoes and peppers are rolling in by the bucket full. This time of year, I love to grill up fresh vegetables and venison with recipes like this simple casserole style dish. Using the grill as often as possible also helps to cut down on kitchen heat to ease the strain on the already hardworking air conditioner. That smokey flavor from the grill helps to add a layer of flavor you just can’t get in the oven, too.

This easy summer casserole features ground venison and sliced garden fresh tomatoes.

I included fresh tomatoes, basil, and peppers from the garden but add whatever you have in abundance.

Take advantage of ripe summer vegetables for this easy dish.

This one does start out in a skillet. I like to brown the ground venison with a chopped onion, some chopped banana or bell peppers and some basil from the garden, sliced mushrooms, and a bit of minced garlic.

Brown the ground venison with the onions and peppers.

Once everything is done, I assemble the dish in a 13x9 disposable aluminum pan that can go straight onto the grill. The great thing about this recipe is that there are no hard and fast rules. Have some eggplant or squash? Chop it up and add it to the skillet. Want a bit of spice? A jalapeño or two will do the job.

Start with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Season them with a bit of Tajin and a sprinkle of salt. Spoon over the ground venison mixture. Next, sprinkle on 1 cup of the Italian cheese blend. Top the cheese with another layer of sliced tomato seasoned with more salt and Tajin, then top that with the remaining cup of cheese.

Layer tomatoes, venison and cheese in the casserole pan.

Move the casserole dish to the grill.

Grill at 350 degrees.

Since the venison is already cooked, this one doesn’t take long on the grill. Around 20-30 minutes at 350 should melt the cheese and lightly cook the tomatoes while giving everything a nice smoke flavor.

Grill until the cheese has melted and the tomatoes have cooked through. Top with additional fresh basil for garnish.

Serve this one up with some fresh corn on the cob (cook it on the grill at the same time) and you have a great summer meal in no time with minimal clean up afterwards. Its a win/win.