Cowboy Spaghetti

Cowboy Spaghetti puts spaghetti noodles, slices regular or turkey bacon and lean ground turkey or beef at the center of a beef recipe and finishes in about 45 minutes, enough for 6 Servings.

• Yield 6 Servings
• Ready in 45 minutes
• Prep 15 minutes
• Cook 30 minutes

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

Toppings

• Sliced olives
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sliced green onions

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. Boil the spaghetti noodles according to package directions until al dente. Serve the sauce over hot noodles and garnish with toppings of your choice.

Give it a minute off the heat, then serve it while it is still hot.