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Cowboy Spaghetti recipe with chili
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Cowboy Spaghetti

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword cowboy-spaghetti, easy-cowboy-spaghetti-recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 519kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 slices bacon
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin or lean ground beef
  • 1 medium sweet onion diced
  • 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 15 oz can light red kidney beans drained
  • 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 10 oz can Rotel Chili Fixins Tomatoes don't drain
  • 2 Tbsp dark chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 3 cups shredded Pepper-Jack cheese divided
  • 12 oz thin spaghetti
  • pickled jalapeno slices, amount to taste
  • sliced green onions for garnishing

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet with olive or vegetable oil. Set aside. 
  • In a separate large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain and crumble. Reserve 3 Tbsp drippings in skillet.
  • Add the ground sirloin and diced onion to the bacon drippings. Cook over medium-high heat until no pink remains and the onion is softened. 
  • Lower the heat and add the Worcestershire sauce, beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, lemon pepper and oregano. Mix well and leave on low until pasta is cooked. 
  • Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti per the package directions in salted water until al dente. Drain well. 
  • Add cooked spaghetti and crumbled bacon to the sauce reserving 2 Tbsp bacon for garnishing. Mix until ingredients are combined and the spaghetti noodles are evenly coated with sauce.
  • Pour half into the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups cheese and arrange jalapeno slices on top. Repeat layers with spaghetti, jalapeno slices and remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted and golden.
  • Serve immediately garnished with green onion and reserved bacon.

Notes

  • This dish can be baked in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
  • Substitutions: You can use ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork for this spaghetti recipe. You can also add fresh cilantro or fresh parsley and use fresh garlic cloves in place of garlic salt.
  • You can use fire-roasted tomatoes in place of Rotel tomatoes.
  • You can use olive oil in place of bacon grease.
  • You can use classic black pepper in place of lemon pepper.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 935mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 758IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 3mg