Cowboy Spaghetti
This Cowboy Spaghetti recipe is a hearty and flavorful dish featuring smoky bacon, seasoned ground sirloin, and a robust tomato sauce. Cooked with al dente spaghetti and finished with sharp cheddar and fresh scallions, it's a quick, comforting, and satisfying meal perfect for a family dinner, ready in about 30 minutes.
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot For cooking spaghetti
- 1 Deep Skillet or Dutch Oven For browning meat and simmering sauce
- 1 Slotted Spoon For removing bacon
- 1 Box Grater For grating sharp Cheddar cheese
- 4 Shallow Bowls For serving
Ingredients
Main
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 turn of the pan
- 3 slices smoky bacon chopped
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic chopped
- Ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce eyeball it
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce eyeball it
- 1/2 cup beer
- 1 14-ounce can, chopped or crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 8-ounces can, tomato sauce
- 8 ounces sharp Cheddar
- 4 scallions chopped
Instructions
- Heat a pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and salt the water. Cook to al dente or with a bite to it.
- Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon, 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary. Leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add beef and crumble it as it browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions, garlic and stir into meat. Season the meat with salt and pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Add 1/2 cup beer and deglaze the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes more then stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Add hot spaghetti to meat and sauce and combine. Adjust seasonings and serve up pasta in shallow bowls. Grate some cheese over the pasta and sprinkle with scallions. Garnish with crisp bacon
Notes
Ensure bacon is rendered properly; a crispy texture adds a vital smoky crunch. Drain excess fat to prevent a greasy sauce, leaving just enough to sauté the sirloin. For a richer flavor profile, consider using ground chuck instead of sirloin, or blend a touch of smoked paprika into the meat mixture to enhance the 'cowboy' essence. Do not overcook the spaghetti; al dente pasta will absorb the sauce better and provide a pleasant bite. The beer deglazing step is crucial for lifting browned bits from the pan, intensifying the flavor of the sauce. Adjust seasonings at the end, as the bacon, hot sauce, and Worcestershire all contribute salinity and spice.