Cowboy Spaghetti

Cowboy Spaghetti is a fun and delicious recipe that combines two classic comfort foods: spaghetti with meat sauce and chili! It’s packed with crispy bacon and tossed in a southwestern-style sauce for an irresistible bite perfect for game day, casual entertaining with friends, or a family dinner.

If your family loves spaghetti as much as mine, try my Easy Baked Spaghetti, Easy Taco Spaghetti Casserole, or Rotel Chicken Spaghetti.

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I absolutely love chili and homemade meat sauce, so combining the two into Cowboy Spaghetti felt like a match made in heaven. I’m always on the lookout for a comfort recipe that’s satisfying, easy, and one I know my family will love. This dish checks all those boxes and then some!

Why You’ll Love Cowboy Spaghetti

• Comfort Food With A Twist: Like my homemade spaghetti sauce, this flavor-packed dish is made in less than an hour but tastes like it’s been simmering for hours.
• Easy To Customize: Cowboy Spaghetti is super versatile. You can adjust the heat level, experiment with different cheeses, and add your favorite toppings like bell peppers or olives.
• Family Meal Or Feeding A Crowd: This spaghetti and chili mash-up is fantastic for family dinners, potlucks, or a casual get-together with friends. It’s great for making meal prep ahead of time, freezer-friendly, and easy to double for entertaining!

How To Make Hearty Cowboy Spaghetti

Ingredients

• You’ll need spaghetti noodles. You could also use another long pasta noodle like bucatini or angel hair.
• Grab bacon, ground beef, garlic, and onion for the filling. Everything gets cooked in bacon drippings, so starting with raw bacon is important.
• To make the sauce, you’ll need tomato paste, chili powder, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Rotel tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
• And finally, to top the spaghetti, we like cheddar cheese, green onions (or scallions), and jalapeños (deseeded).

Step By Step Instructions

1. Add the oil and chopped bacon pieces in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the beef and diced onion, then cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in the chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper.
3. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it with the bacon pieces to the meat mixture, then toss to combine.
4. Top with cheddar cheese, jalapeños (maybe Cowboy Jalapenos), and green onions to serve.

How To Make Cowboy Spaghetti In The Crock Pot

1. Add the oil and chopped bacon pieces in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the beef and diced onion, then cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Transfer the beef mixture to your crock pot. Stir in the chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper.
3. Set the crock pot to low and cook for 4-6 hours or 2-3 hours on high.
4. About 20 minutes before serving, cook the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions until al dente, then drain. Add the cooked spaghetti and reserved bacon pieces to the crock pot. Toss to combine and heat through.

Frequently Asked Questions

What To Serve With Southern-Inspired Cowboy Spaghetti

Pair this Cowboy Spaghetti recipe with super simple caprese salad and cornbread muffins to make it a full dinner. For game day, it’s great on a buffet with crock pot baked potatoes, green bean salad, and Southern caviar!

Craving More? Try These Main Dish Recipes

• 
  Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Beef
• 
  Easy Crock Pot Beef Roast Recipe
• 
  Easy Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
• 
  Oven Fried Chicken (Crispy And Juicy)

If you try this Cowboy Spaghetti Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!

5 from 3 votes

Cowboy Spaghetti

Author: Donya Mullins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Calories: 530kcal

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Cowboy Spaghetti is a fun and delicious recipe that combines two classic comfort foods: spaghetti with meat sauce and chili! It's packed with crispy bacon and tossed in a southwestern-style sauce for an irresistible bite, that's perfect for game day, casual entertaining with friends, or a family dinner.

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 ounces dry spaghetti
• ▢ 12 ounces bacon chopped
• ▢ 1 pound ground beef
• ▢ ½ medium onion diced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 15 ounces Rotel tomatoes undrained
• ▢ 15 ounces tomato sauce

Toppings

• ▢ 1½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
• ▢ green onions diced for garnish
• ▢ jalapenos sliced for garnish

Instructions

• ▢
  Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions to al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside.
• ▢
  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and chopped bacon pieces. Cook until browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• ▢
  Returning to the skillet, add the beef and diced onion. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is softened.
• ▢
  Add the garlic and tomato paste then stir and cook for 30 seconds – 1 minute until fragrant.
• ▢
  Stir in the chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
• ▢
  Add the cooked spaghetti noodles and bacon pieces add to the meat mixture then toss to combine.
• ▢
  Top/Garnish with cheddar cheese and jalapenos.

Video

Notes

Recipe Variations:

• • You can substitute ground turkey and turkey bacon if preferred.

• • Fire-roasted tomatoes can be substituted for Rotel.

• • Pepper jack cheese and smoked Gouda work well as a topping.

• • Add black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans for added protein.

Leftovers:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat them, pop them in the microwave or on the stove with a splash of stock or tomato sauce to rehydrate the sauce.

Crock Pot Instructions:

• Add the oil and chopped bacon pieces in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the beef and diced onion, then cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Transfer the beef mixture to your crock pot. Stir in the chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper.
• Set the crock pot to low and cook for 4-6 hours or 2-3 hours on high.
• About 20 minutes before serving, cook the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions until al dente, then drain. Add the cooked spaghetti and reserved bacon pieces to the crock pot. Toss to combine and heat through.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 246g | Fat: 225g | Saturated Fat: 83g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 97g | Trans Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 694mg | Sodium: 10523mg | Potassium: 5873mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 5703IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 1099mg | Iron: 25mg

Did you make my Cowboy Spaghetti?I’d love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul!

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