Spaghetti Squash and Venison

Beyond Flavor - This Recipe Delivers Nutrients and Gut Health Support

One of my favorite ways to cook is by simply opening the pantry, peeking into the freezer, and getting creative. This time? Wild venison, bone broth, winter squash, tomatoes, onion, and garlic simmer together gently in beef tallow until the flavors melt into one another — creating a dish that becomes almost subtly sweet as it cooks down over time.

Photos from Chasing Carrots

Every ingredient plays a role beyond flavor. This meal has your gut in mind… pairing diverse plant fibers that nourish the microbiome with collagen-rich bone broth to support the gut lining. Vitamin C–rich vegetables that enhance iron absorption from venison, while beef tallow helps unlock fat-soluble nutrients in the other ingredients. This recipe is a beautiful example of food synergy doing what it does best.

If you’re curious to learn more about gut health and why diversity on your plate matters, I’ve shared a full free Rabbit Hole on gut health, with the science to back it up!

And of course, this wouldn’t be Chasing Carrots without a few Bunny Bites into why I love these ingredients so much… scroll down to the bottom to understand the science to how these ingredients support mineral density to hormone support and microbial nourishment. I hope you enjoy not only making this recipe, but getting curious in your own kitchen!

Spaghetti Squash and Venison

Ingredients

• Beef Tallow

• 1 Medium Onion

• 3-5 cloves of Garlic

• 1 LB Ground Venison (or Red Meat)

  (I used Local Venison and Beef that was gifted from a family friend)

• 3 Large Tomatoes:

  or Sauce (This one has zero added sugar)

  or canned 100% tomato (no additives)

• 3 cups of Bone Broth

• 1 Japanese Sweet Potato

• 1 Butternut squash

• 1 Acorn squash

• 1 Teaspoon Cumin

• 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika

• 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

  (Trust me on this!! Especially with Wild Venison)

• 1 Jalapeño

• 1 Teaspoon - 1 Tablespoon Ancho Chili
  (depending on your spice level)

• Red Pepper Flakes (to top it off)

Instructions

The important thing to note here is a slow cook… this breaks down the squash and creates an incredible stew

1. Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, drizzle with tallow, and sprinkle sea salt. Place into the heated oven for about an hour.

3. Cut the onion, peel the garlic, dice the squash and sweet potato.

4. In a large pot, over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp beef tallow. Add onions and cook down for about a minute.

5. Add the venison, cinnamon, sea salt and garlic and cook through

6. Once cooked, add squash, potatoes, spices, jalapeño, bone broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring often.

7. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Checking on it periodically.

8. At this point, the squash and sweet potato should disappear into the sauce, this is what you want.

9. take the spaghetti squash and place as your base, and the delicious wild stew over top. Can add more red pepper flakes and enjoy!

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Why I love these ingredients:

Beef Tallow

• Key nutrients:

  • stearic and oleic acid (fatty acid)

  • Fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K2)

• Rich in stearic and oleic acids, these fatty acids support cellular health, steady energy, and satiety.. studies show stearic and oleic acids are key for balanced blood sugar and hormone production. Cooking vegetables (like squash, onion, garlic, and tomato) in tallow enhances absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and phytonutrients such as beta-carotene and lycopene.¹ Grass-fed tallow may also provide CLA, supporting metabolic and anti-inflammatory pathways. Finally, tallow has a high smoke point (~400°F) makes it ideal for slow, gentle cooking without oxidative damage.

Venison

Venison (deer meat) is one of the most nutrient-dense and sustainable red meats you can eat

• Key nutrients:

  • Heme iron (highly bioavailable)

  • Minerals: Zinc, selenium

  • B vitamins (B12, B6, niacin)

• Venison is a highly nutrient-dense, hormone-supportive protein. It provides all essential amino acids for muscle repair, satiety, and hormone production, while remaining naturally lean and anti-inflammatory. As one of the most iron-dense red meats, venison delivers highly bioavailable heme iron, critical for energy, oxygen transport, and women’s health.²

  Bonus: Vitamin C (from the winter squash, and sweet potato) enhances iron absorption.

  Its B vitamins support metabolism and steady energy, while zinc and selenium work together to support immune function, thyroid health, skin vitality, and reproductive hormones.³ Because it’s wild and grass-fed by nature, venison also offers a more favorable omega-3 to omega-6 balance, supporting hormone-friendly pathways.

Bone Broth

• Key nutrients:

  • Collagen & gelatin

  • Amino acids: glycine, proline, glutamine

  • Trace minerals: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium

• Why it matters:
  Bone broth supports the gut lining and intestinal integrity, helping calm inflammation and improve nutrient absorption; both essential for hormone balance and overall resilience. The collagen and gelatin released during long simmering help repair the gut barrier, support joints and skin. When paired with vitamin C–rich foods (like winter squash or sweet potato), collagen utilization is enhanced.

  Bonus tip! Glycine supports digestion, bile flow, and liver detox pathways, while glutamine helps maintain a healthy gut barrier and immune balance.⁴

Tomatos

• Key nutrients:

  • Vitamin C and Potassium

  • Lycopene

• Why it matters:
  Tomatoes provide vitamin C, which dramatically enhances iron absorption from venison and supports immune defense, skin health, and collagen repair. They are also rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that supports cardiovascular health and cellular protection. Lycopene becomes significantly more bioavailable when tomatoes are slow-cooked with fat, such as beef tallow—enhancing absorption in the gut and amplifying the nutritional impact of the dish.

Winter Squash

• Key nutrients:

  • Vitamin A (beta-carotene)

  • Vitamin C

  • Potassium

  • Diverse prebiotic fibers: Gentle, gut-supportive fibers that are easy to digest and well tolerated, even for sensitive digestive systems.

• Why it matters:

  Winter squash supports immune health, gut integrity, and hormone balance through its rich beta-carotene content, which helps maintain mucosal barriers (gut, respiratory tract), supports skin and vision health, and plays a role in reproductive hormone signaling. Its vitamin C enhances iron absorption from venison and supports collagen synthesis from bone broth, benefiting the gut lining, joints, and skin. The prebiotic fibers promote steady blood sugar, satiety, and microbial diversity, while potassium supports hydration, nerve signaling, muscle function, and cardiovascular stability, key for metabolic and hormonal resilience.

Japanese Sweet Potato

• Key nutrients:

  • Vitamin A (beta-carotene)

  • Vitamin C

  • Potassium

  • Manganese

  • Slow-digesting starches that provide steady, sustained energy without sharp blood sugar spikes.

  Why it matters:
  Together, these nutrients promote digestion, steady energy, immune resilience, and hormone balance, making Japanese sweet potatoes a foundational food for gut and metabolic health. Rich in beta-carotene (vitamin A) and vitamin C, they support gut lining integrity, immune health, collagen production, and iron absorption. Potassium and manganese promote hydration, metabolic stability, antioxidant defense, and cellular energy.
  Pro tip: When cooked and cooled, potatoes contain resistant starch, which feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports microbial diversity, digestion, and metabolic health.

Fresh Garlic and Onion

Support liver detox, immunity, gut health, blood sugar stability, and hormone balance.

• Key nutrients:

  • Vitamin C, B6

  • Sulfur-containing compounds (including allicin)

  • Prebiotic fibers

• Why they matter:
  Onion and garlic are prebiotic powerhouses, nourishing beneficial gut bacteria, increasing microbial diversity, and supporting gut, immune, and metabolic health. Their unique sulfur compounds and antioxidants support blood sugar stability and reduce inflammation.
  Additional nugget: Garlic and onion contain compounds that enhance iron bioavailability, improving absorption from iron-rich foods like venison—a beautiful example of food synergy.

Sea Salt

Provides sodium and trace minerals, depending on source (e.g., Celtic or Himalayan salt).

• Hormone health: Sodium supports adrenal function and can help with low cortisol-related fatigue.

• Minerals: Sodium, magnesium (trace), calcium (trace), potassium (trace).

1. Moran, N. E., & Johnson, E. J. (2017). Closer to clarity on the effect of lipid consumption on fat-soluble vitamin and carotenoid absorption: do we need to close in further?. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 106(4), 969–970. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.117.165894

2. Fayet, F., Flood, V., Petocz, P., & Samman, S. (2014). Avoidance of meat and poultry decreases intakes of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 , selenium and zinc in young women. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association, 27 Suppl 2, 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12092

3. Juárez, M., Lam, S., Bohrer, B. M., Dugan, M. E. R., Vahmani, P., Aalhus, J., Juárez, A., López-Campos, O., Prieto, N., & Segura, J. (2021). Enhancing the Nutritional Value of Red Meat through Genetic and Feeding Strategies. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 10(4), 872. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10040872

4. Ma, N., & Ma, X. (2019). Dietary Amino Acids and the Gut-Microbiome-Immune Axis: Physiological Metabolism and Therapeutic Prospects. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety, 18(1), 221–242. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12401