Cowboy Spaghetti
Ingredients
Pasta and Sauce:
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- 6 slices regular or turkey bacon, diced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce (see note)
Toppings:
- Sliced olives
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced green onions
Instructions
- In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Scoop the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels and drain the grease, if needed, leaving a teaspoon or so in the skillet for cooking the ground beef.
- Return the skillet to medium heat and cook the ground turkey or beef with the onion, salt and pepper. Break the meat into small pieces as it cooks and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in the cooked bacon (reserving any for sprinkling on top, if desired), crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, Worcestershire, liquid smoke (if using) and BBQ sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer cook for 10-15 minutes (the mixture can gently simmer for up to an hour).
- Boil the spaghetti noodles according to package directions until al dente. Serve the sauce over hot noodles and garnish with toppings of your choice.
Notes
BBQ Sauce: it is key here to use a BBQ sauce that you really love (as in, if you dip your finger in to have a taste, you'll end up dipping it in 50 more times because it's that good). It might not seem like 1/4 cup is very much but it definitely influences the flavor of this dish.
Homemade Sauce: I use my favorite homemade BBQ sauce which has a delicious smoky, spicy and sweet flavor.