Cowboy Spaghetti
This Cowboy Spaghetti is a rich, hearty meal. It has a smoky flavor from the bacon and the chili beans. Not to be confused with Cincinnati chili, which has very different flavor components though. However, this is one dish that needs to be added to your dinner rotation! And it can be made in less than 30 minutes, which is ALWAYS a plus in my book! My family absolutely loved this dish and my husband said it is one of his new favorites!
And while you are here check out these other great recipes!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Ground Beef and Potatoes
One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage with Bowtie Pasta
Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach
Chicken Spaghetti In the Slow Cooker
How to Make Cowboy Spaghetti
In a deep pan you will start by browning about 10 slices of bacon. I love this pan I am using, you can find it here on Amazon!
Once the bacon is crispy, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the grease. Using the bacon grease, saute a diced onion for about 5 minutes. Then add in 6-7 minced garlic cloves. Cook that down until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
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Now add in 1 lb of ground beef and brown it. Once it is completely cooked, drain off the excess grease. (And as I always say, this step is completely optional, it is just my personal preference.
Now you will add in a 14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, a 15 oz can of chili beans, 16 oz of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of beef broth. You will also add in the spices, which will be in the recipe card below. Mix that all up really well and let simmer on low for a few minutes.
And the final step is to add in 1 lb of cooked spaghetti and half of the cooked bacon from earlier. And you want to mix that up really well!
Lastly
Serve with some grated cheddar cheese on top along with some of the reserved cooked bacon and that is all there is to it! A salad and some garlic bread or cornbread would be great to serve on the side with this dish!
If you do make this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating! I love hearing from you and it helps so much! Thank you!
Cowboy Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Bacon, chopped up
- 1 Yellow Onion, Diced
- 6-7 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Lb Ground Beef
- 14.5 oz Can of Diced, Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 15 oz Can of Chili beans in sauce
- 16 oz Tomato Sauce
- 4 oz Can of Diced Chilies optional for a little extra heat
- 1/2 Cup Beef Broth
- 16 oz Spaghetti, cooked to al dente
- 3-4 oz Grated Cheddar Cheese optional, for serving
Seasonings
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 2 tsp Seasoning Salt
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Boil 1 lb of spaghetti in salted water until al dente. While that is cooking, prepare the sauce as instructed below.
- In a large pan, brown the bacon until crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but about 1 tbs of the grease.
- In the bacon grease, saute the onion for about 5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant about, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and brown it until completely cooked. Drain off the excess grease if necessary.
- Add the tomatoes, chili beans, diced chilies and tomato sauce, beef broth and seasonings. Mix well, cover, and simmer on low while for about 5 minutes.
- Drain the spaghetti.
- Turn the heat off. Add the spaghetti and half of the bacon back in and mix it up really well.
- Serve with grated cheddar cheese and the remaining bacon on top and enjoy!
First off this was absolutely delicious and would describe the taste as a hybrid of Italian meat sauce and chili con carne.
A few thoughts to share is we tripled the amount of meat and followed the rest of the recipe exactly. I mention this since the recipe calls for a tablespoon for most of its spices and as someone who likes robust flavors believe this may have been overwhelming if we hadn’t tripled the meat – and would recommend using teaspoons rather than tablespoons for the spices if using the recipe volume of meat.
Look forward to eating the leftovers and making this recipe again.
Rick,
Your comments are spot on!!!
After reading what you said about the amounts given for the seasoning ingredients I did cut down to one tsp. of each as you suggested, and it was perfectly seasoned…I had realized the given amounts of 1 Tbsp. each of most of the ingredients would have been waaaaay too much for the recipe as written and was thinking it was a typo???
That aside, this recipe is a winner…
“Italy meets Texas” and my family loved it and requested it be “added to the rotation of favorites” ?
Thank you both for commenting on the seasonings. I may need to adjust the recipe! I appreciate the feedback!
I haven’t tried it yet, but when do I add the beef broth? I read it several times and don’t see it
I am so sorry Lara,
I have updated the recipe to include that step. It will be in step 5. thanks for bringing this to my attention! I hope you enjoy the dish!
My mom made Cowboy Spaghetti for me as a child because it was inexpensive and filling and also made enough for leftovers the next day. The difference between her recipe and yours is she just used garlic salt and pepper, hamburger meat cooked with chopped onions, cooked spaghetti noodles, small can of tomato sauce and a can or 2 of Ranch Style beans (a brand of chili beans here in Texas with a distinct flavor).You can also add a can of mushrooms if you like. Heat all together and serve with buttered bread. I made this at least once a month for my kids as they were growing up. I still make it every couple of months.
Excellent! Reminiscent of Cincinnati chili. Made as written except for adding some beef better than bouillon. Added American cheese at the end for better melting. Next time I’ll also top with fresh onion and jalapeno! Great cold weather dinner!
I am so glad you enjoyed it Linda!
This recipe is delicious! Thanks for sharing
My pleasure! I am so glad you liked it!
I wonder what this would be like if you served a can of rotelle instead of using the fire, roasted tomatoes and green chilies. Has anyone tried that?? I bet it’s delicious. I haven’t made it, but I’ve been tempted to eat several times. I guess I’m gonna have to break down and actually do it this time.!! thanks for the recipe!
It would pretty much be the same because rotel is diced tomatoes with green chilies! I think you should give it a try! It is delicious!