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This cowboy spaghetti is delicious, comforting, and super easy to make. It’s loaded with crispy bacon, beef, juicy tomatoes, and cheese. I love serving it with cheesy garlic bread and salad.
If you enjoyed this taco pasta then you will certainly love this cowboy spaghetti! It’s very different from classic Italian spaghetti but it’s insanely delicious nonetheless.
Table of Contents
INGREDIENT NOTES
See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and complete instructions.
- Spaghetti – Although I highly recommend spaghetti for this recipe, feel free to use any type of pasta you have on hand.
- Bacon – My preferred method for cooking bacon is in the oven, but because I wanted to cook the onions in the bacon grease, I just cooked it on the stovetop. However, feel free to bake it instead.
- Cheese – I used shredded cheddar cheese, but feel free to use any type of cheese you like.
- Ground Beef – Ground sausage, turkey, or chicken works as well.
- Chicken Stock – Any type of stock will work.
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Place the bacon strips in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crispy on both sides. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Once cooked, remove it from the skillet and set it aside.
- Remove some of the bacon grease, but leave about 2-3 tablespoons in the skillet. Stir in the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 15 seconds.
- Add the ground beef and break it up using a wooden spoon. Cook until it browns completely.
- Stir in the granulated garlic, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, tomato sauce, rotel, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook the meat sauce uncovered for 12-15 minutes.
- While the sauce cooks, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente.
- Once the meat sauce is done cooking, season with salt and pepper and then toss in the spaghetti. Toss it really well and then let it sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and scallions. Check for seasoning and enjoy!
TOP TIPS
- Don’t add the crispy bacon to the meat sauce while it’s cooking, otherwise, the bacon will soften. Simply top the spaghetti with the bacon right before serving so it remains nice and crispy.
- This was perfectly saucy for me, but if you like it extra saucy, add a splash of the pasta water to the meat sauce.
- Don’t omit any ingredients from this recipe except for the red pepper flakes and Rotel if you don’t like it spicy. Although, I still didn’t find this spicy at all.
STORAGE
If you have any leftovers, allow them to cool completely then transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or stovetop until heated through.
Tried this cowboy spaghetti recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. And consider following me on Facebook or Pinterest!
Cowboy Spaghetti
This cowboy spaghetti is delicious, comforting, and super easy to make. It's loaded with crispy bacon, beef, juicy tomatoes, and cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti , cooked til al dente in boiling salted water
- 6-8 bacon strips
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ small onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- ¼ cup scallions, finely sliced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the bacon strips in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crispy on both sides. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Once cooked, remove it from the skillet and set it aside.
- Remove some of the bacon grease, but leave about 2-3 tablespoons in the skillet. Stir in the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 15 seconds.
- Add the ground beef and break it up using a wooden spoon. Cook until it browns completely.
- Stir in the granulated garlic, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, tomato sauce, rotel, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook the meat sauce uncovered for 12-15 minutes.
- While the sauce cooks, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente.
- Once the meat sauce is done cooking, season with salt and pepper and then toss in the spaghetti. Toss it really well and then let it sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and scallions. Check for seasoning and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t add the crispy bacon to the meat sauce while it’s cooking, otherwise, the bacon will soften. Simply top the spaghetti off with the bacon so it remains nice and crispy.
- This was perfectly saucy for me, but if you like it extra sauce, add a splash of the pasta water to the meat sauce.
- Don’t omit any ingredients from this recipe except for the red pepper flakes and Rotel if you don’t like it spicy. Although, I still didn’t find this spicy at all.
Nutrition
Calories: 685kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 735mg | Potassium: 631mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 707IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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