Description
Someone looked at plain spaghetti and thought “this needs more meat, more cheese, and way more attitude” and created this absolute unit of a pasta dish. This is spaghetti that ditched its Italian roots, moved to Texas, and came back with ground beef, bacon, peppers, and enough cheese to make you question your life choices in the best way possible. It all cooks in one pot because we’re cowboys now and cowboys don’t do dishes.
This isn’t some delicate pasta situation where you carefully layer flavors and gently toss noodles. This is “throw everything in a pot, let it get wild, and end up with something that tastes like a chili-spaghetti hybrid had a baby with comfort food.” The pasta cooks directly in the sauce, absorbing all that beefy, smoky, slightly spicy goodness. The result is hearty, satisfying, and the kind of dinner that makes you want to high-five yourself.
This is “weeknight dinner just got upgraded” energy. It’s what happens when spaghetti stops being polite and starts being real. It’s a one-pot wonder that feeds a crowd and requires minimal cleanup because life’s too short to dirty every pan you own.
Ingredients
For the Cowboy Spaghetti:
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 for flavor)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 12 oz spaghetti, broken in half
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or Mexican blend)
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions for garnish
- Optional: pickled jalapeños, sour cream, hot sauce
Special Equipment:
- Large Dutch oven or deep skillet with lid (5-6 quart capacity)
- Wooden spoon
- Sharp knife
Instructions
In your large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until it’s crispy and has rendered all its fat. This is your flavor base. Don’t skip the bacon. Cowboys don’t skip bacon. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and set it aside, but leave that beautiful bacon fat in the pot. That’s liquid gold.
Crank the heat to medium-high and add your ground beef to the bacon fat. Break it up with your wooden spoon and let it brown properly – we want some caramelization, not gray steamed meat. This takes about 6-8 minutes. Don’t stir it constantly. Let it sit and develop that brown crust, then break it up and flip. Season with a bit of salt and pepper while it cooks.
Once the beef is nicely browned, add your diced onion and bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. The onions should be translucent and the peppers should have lost their raw edge. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. If your garlic burns, it’s game over. Watch it.
Add the tomato paste and stir it around for about a minute – this concentrates the tomato flavor and gets rid of that raw paste taste. Then add your diced tomatoes (with all their juice), tomato sauce, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine everything.
Add your chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Stir well. This is what transforms this from “spaghetti with meat sauce” into “cowboy spaghetti.” The spices are essential. Taste the sauce and adjust – if you want it spicier, add more cayenne. If you want it smokier, add more paprika.
Break your spaghetti in half (Italians everywhere just gasped, but we’re making cowboy spaghetti, not cacio e pepe). Add the broken spaghetti to the pot, pushing it down so it’s mostly submerged in the liquid. Don’t worry if some pieces stick up – they’ll soften and sink. Bring everything to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes to prevent sticking. The pasta will absorb the liquid and cook directly in the sauce. This is where the magic happens – the pasta takes on all those flavors instead of just sitting on top of sauce.
When the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed (there should still be a bit of sauciness), remove from heat. Stir in 1½ cups of the shredded cheese and most of the cooked bacon (save some for topping). The residual heat will melt the cheese into the pasta, creating this creamy, cohesive situation that’s way better than it has any right to be.
Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese and reserved bacon over the top. Cover the pot for 2-3 minutes to let that cheese melt into a beautiful, gooey layer. If you want to get fancy, pop the whole pot under the broiler for 2 minutes to get some browning on that cheese, but that’s optional.
Sprinkle sliced green onions over the top. Add pickled jalapeños if you’re into that (you should be). Serve it straight from the pot like the one-pot wonder it is. Dollop some sour cream on top if you want. Add hot sauce if that’s your thing.
Twirl up a forkful of this cheesy, meaty, slightly spicy situation. Notice how the pasta is actually flavored throughout, not just coated in sauce. Notice the crispy bacon bits, the melted cheese, the tender pasta, and that smoky, slightly spicy kick. Notice how you’re already going back for seconds before you’ve finished your first serving. This is the cowboy spaghetti effect.
Notes
Don’t Skip Breaking the Pasta: Full-length spaghetti doesn’t work in a one-pot situation. It won’t cook evenly and you’ll have a tangled mess.
Stir Regularly: This isn’t a “set it and forget it” situation. Pasta sticking to the bottom is a real risk. Stir every few minutes.
Liquid Levels Matter: If your pasta isn’t quite done but the liquid is gone, add a splash more broth or water. If there’s too much liquid at the end, let it simmer uncovered for a few minutes.
Use Good Beef: The 80/20 ratio gives you enough fat for flavor without being greasy. Super lean beef makes dry, sad cowboy spaghetti.
Fresh Garlic Only: Garlic powder doesn’t cut it here. Fresh minced garlic or go home.
Adjust Heat to Your Crowd: Half a teaspoon of cayenne is mild. Double it if you like heat. Skip it entirely if cooking for kids.
Let It Rest: Give it 5 minutes after cooking before diving in. The sauce thickens up and everything melds together.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Calories: ~485 kcal
- Fat: ~22g
- Carbohydrates: ~45g
- Protein: ~28g