Paleo Venison Stew with Root Vegetables Recipe

Paleo venison stew with root vegetables is a deeply nourishing, cold-weather dinner that showcases the lean, earthy richness of wild game. Slow-simmered venison with parsnips, carrots, turnip, and fresh herbs creates a stew that is comforting and completely grain-free. Each serving provides 44g of protein and only 363 calories, making venison stew one of the highest-protein, lowest-calorie paleo dinners available.

Ingredients

• 700g venison stew meat, cut into 3cm cubes
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef broth (no additives)
• 1 can (400g) diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp arrowroot starch (for thickening, paleo-compliant)
• 2 tbsp cold water
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Pat venison cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear venison pieces for 2-3 minutes per side until deeply browned. Do not crowd the pot. Remove and set aside.
3. Add diced onion to the same pot. Cook for 4 minutes until softened, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
4. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
5. Return venison to the pot. Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour until venison begins to turn tender.
7. Add carrots, parsnips, and turnip. Cover and continue simmering for 30 more minutes until vegetables and venison are tender.
8. Mix arrowroot starch with 2 tbsp cold water to make a slurry. Stir into the stew and cook uncovered for 5 minutes until the stew thickens slightly.
9. Remove thyme sprigs, rosemary, and bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning.
10. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley.

Tips & Variations

• Venison is very lean and can become tough if cooked too hot; keep the simmer gentle.
• Substitute venison with elk, bison stew meat, or beef chuck if venison is unavailable.
• For a slow cooker version: sear the venison, then cook on low for 8 hours with all ingredients except the arrowroot. Add the slurry 30 minutes before serving on high.
• Stew keeps for 5 days in the fridge and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
• Add sweet potato chunks instead of turnip for a slightly sweeter profile.

Nutrition Breakdown

Calories: 363 kcal

Protein: 42.5g

Fat: 12.1g

Carbs: 19.6g

Fiber: 4.4g

Track It with Nutrify

Tracking Paleo Venison Stew with Root Vegetables is easy with Nutrify's AI-powered food scanner. Just snap a photo of your plate and get instant calorie and macro data. Download Nutrify to start tracking smarter.