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Rabbit (or Pheasant) Cacciatore Wild Game Canning Recipe
Preserve the hunt with this rich, hearty wild game recipe. Rabbit and pheasant are lean, protein-rich meats that become tender and flavorful when pressure canned in a savory cacciatore sauce. With tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, herbs, and a splash of red wine, this classic Italian “hunter-style” dish is perfect for stocking your pantry and serving over pasta any time of year.
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By Diane Devereaux | The Canning Diva®
Last updated: August 25, 2025
Key Takeaways
- Rabbit and pheasant are lean, iron-rich proteins that pressure can beautifully.
- Pressure canning guarantees tender, fork-cut meat—even from tough cuts.
- This cacciatore sauce combines classic Italian flavors with wild game.
- Jars provide ready-made meals in a jar, perfect for busy nights or cold-weather comfort.
Why Can Rabbit and Pheasant?
Rabbit meat is a great source of protein, even more so than beef or chicken. Better yet, it is an easily digestible protein that is almost cholesterol free. Back in the 1940s and 1950s, rabbit meat was a common meat for many families, almost as common as chicken is today. It is the meat that got many through the Great Depression. Often families were known for canning rabbit and pheasant wild game meat to extend the nourishment into the winter months.
Although it is not as popular now as it was then, there are still many good reasons to consume rabbit. Not only is it an excellent source of iron, containing more than 4 mg a serving, it also provides a wide range of minerals and high levels of phosphorous and potassium.
Tender Meat Every Time
The benefit of pressure canning meat is even the toughest of cuts can be made tender. Think of the times you may have pressure cooked cube steak or corned beef. I bet you could almost cut the meat with a fork. The same concept is true when pressure canning meat and wild game, the only difference is the meat is in individual glass jars.
Prepare meat and poultry before canning by removing excess fat or undesirable parts such as excessive skin, gristle, bone, silverskin, etc. When canning poultry and rabbit, you may leave various parts on the bone, for instance; preserving legs and thighs with bones in and skin on retains more flavor and cuts down on processing time. Cut the meat into manageable pieces that fit easily into canning jars. Invest in wide-mouth jars for canning and preserving meat to make filling and emptying the jars much easier, and you gain a touch more space compared to a regular-mouth jar.
Making Delicious Wild Game Meals in a Jar
While there are many health benefits to eating rabbit, do not rule out consuming pheasant. This gorgeous bird is more than a souvenir on your mantel. Pheasant and partridge also contain a high level of iron, protein, vitamin B6 and selenium, which helps to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. And what better way to preserve your wild game? Home canning. Here is a fun interchangeable recipe you may create and preserve this hunting season.
Rabbit (or Pheasant) Cacciatore Recipe
Makes approximately 5 quarts or 10 pints
Prep Time: 20 min / Cook Time: 20 min / Canner Time: 60 min / Processing Time: 90 min/75 min / Total Time: 190 min/175 min
Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian so having a dish made alla cacciatora means the meal is prepared “hunter-style,” which traditionally includes with onions, herbs, tomatoes, bell peppers, and sometimes wine. A popular meal throughout Europe still today, cacciatore is often made with rabbit and is also excellent prepared with pheasant.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cups cubed boneless, skinless rabbit, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup red wine
- 4 cups diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cups white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 3 cups chopped sweet onion
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped (1½ cups)
- 1 celery stalk, chopped (½ cup)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ cup tomato paste (6 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a thick-bottomed stockpot, add the oil and rabbit, mix well to coat the rabbit. Cook the rabbit on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the red wine, place the lid on the stockpot, and let cook for 5 more minutes undisturbed.
- Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, tomato juice, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Mix well and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sugar, mixing well to distribute the paste. Boil for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Using a slotted spoon, fill each hot jar ¾ full of rabbit and vegetables. Ladle the hot tomato sauce over the mixture, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional sauce if necessary to maintain the 1 inch of headspace.
- Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand tighten.
- Place the sealed jars in the pressure canner, lock the pressure canner lid, and bring to a boil on high heat. Let the canner vent for 10 minutes. Close the vent and continue heating to achieve 11 PSI for a dial gauge and 10 PSI for a weighted gauge. Process quart jars for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes.
Ingredient Tip: Use V8® juice, regular or spicy, or your home-canned tomato juice seasoned to your preference to give your cacciatore recipe a deeper flavor profile.
Serving Tip: This dish is traditionally served over pasta noodles, flat, or spaghetti, and topped with fresh chopped parsley flakes and shaved Parmesan cheese.
For more meat and wild game canning recipes, be sure to pick up your copy of The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning on Amazon or Barnes & Noble today. Have a canning question? Do not hesitate to message me on Facebook.
Happy Canning Everyone~
Diane, The Canning Diva®
Rabbit (or Pheasant) Cacciatore – Wild Game Pressure Canning Recipe
Servings
5 quarts or 10 pints
servingsPrep time
20
minutesCacciatore means “hunter” in Italian so having a dish made alla cacciatora means the meal is prepared “hunter-style,” which traditionally includes with onions, herbs, tomatoes, bell peppers, and sometimes wine. A popular meal throughout Europe still today, cacciatore is often made with rabbit and is also excellent prepared with pheasant.
Ingredients
3 tablespoon 3 olive oil
8 cups 8 cubed boneless, skinless rabbit, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon 1 dried oregano
1 tablespoon 1 dried basil
1 teaspoon 1 dried thyme
1 teaspoon 1 dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon 1 coarse sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup red wine
4 cups 4 diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups 2 white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
3 cups 3 chopped sweet onion
3 cups 3 tomato juice
1 large 1 red bell pepper, chopped (1½ cups)
1 1 celery stalk, chopped (½ cup)
6 6 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup tomato paste (6 ounces)
1 tablespoon 1 granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a thick-bottomed stockpot, add the oil and rabbit, mix well to coat the rabbit. Cook the rabbit on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the red wine, place the lid on the stockpot, and let cook for 5 more minutes undisturbed.
- Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, tomato juice, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Mix well and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sugar, mixing well to distribute the paste. Boil for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Using a slotted spoon, fill each hot jar ¾ full of rabbit and vegetables. Ladle the hot tomato sauce over the mixture, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional sauce if necessary to maintain the 1 inch of headspace.
- Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand tighten.
- Place the sealed jars in the pressure canner, lock the pressure canner lid, and bring to a boil on high heat. Let the canner vent for 10 minutes. Close the vent and continue heating to achieve 11 PSI for a dial gauge and 10 PSI for a weighted gauge. Process quart jars for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes.
Notes
- Serving Tip: This dish is traditionally served over pasta noodles, flat, or spaghetti, and topped with fresh chopped parsley flakes and shaved Parmesan cheese.
- Ingredient Tip: Use V8® juice, regular or spicy, or your home-canned tomato juice seasoned to your preference to give your cacciatore recipe a deeper flavor profile.
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People Often Ask
Q: Can I substitute chicken or another meat in this recipe?
A: Yes. If you don’t have rabbit or pheasant, chicken or turkey works well. Processing times remain the same for poultry and rabbit.
Q: Do I have to add the wine, or can I skip it?
A: You can omit wine if you prefer. Simply replace it with additional tomato juice or broth. The wine adds depth of flavor but isn’t required for safe canning.
Q: What herbs work best in cacciatore?
A: Traditional cacciatore uses oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary. You can experiment with fresh herbs or even add bay leaves for a richer flavor.
About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is a nationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.
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