Next Time You Eat Spaghetti, Make It Cowboy-Style For Bursting Flavor

Spaghetti has long been etched into our taste buds (and hearts) as a trusty companion to marinara sauce and meatballs. Irreplaceable as that comfort dish may be, there's no reason to limit this pasta to the same ingredients every single time and miss out on so many great recipes to upgrade spaghetti night. You won't even need to stick solely to Italian cuisine, not with all the unexplored potential hidden in a Western American kitchen. Make your next spaghetti dish cowboy-style, and you can bring the Wild West's liveliness right onto your dinner plate.

Originating from the resourceful cooking habits of cowboys from the Old West, cowboy dishes are often hearty and bold in a way that really sticks to your ribs. Like the countless stews and roasts that came before it, your cowboy spaghetti will be filled to the brim with Tex-Mex staples such as chili, ground beef, beans, bacon, and tomatoes. The undertone, smoky and earthy with a subtle heat, is derived from chili powder, paprika, dried herbs, hot sauce, and a variety of aromatics. Simmered together in a skillet, these ingredients meld seamlessly into one another, soon coating every strand of spaghetti in a savory richness. Some recipes also include shredded cheese, which melts into a tangy depth that builds right into the dish's unapologetically intense taste profile.

A cowboy spaghetti recipe is never set in stone, but rather a culmination of ingredients you currently have in the kitchen. Needless to say, you should always have canned chili in your pantry, which comes in great handy as a quick shortcut in this case. If the dish still needs more savory depth, go ahead and pour in a bit of beef stock. Tomatoes can arrive in various forms, from canned sauces and paste to purees, and maybe even fire-roasted salsa. Want some buttery richness, as well? Cowboy butter is the answer. Spiciness, other than hot sauce, can also be found in a few slices of jalapeños or diced green chiles. Keep them company with some veggies, such as carrots, bell peppers, and onions. Even the proteins don't need to be strictly beef. Try chicken or turkey for a lighter savory tone.

If you have bacon, cook it first, then set it aside; leave the fat in the pot to continue sweating the aromatics. Then, follow up by browning the beef before simmering everything together into a rich, thick tomato-based sauce. Once the spaghetti is boiled al dente in a separate pot, all that's left to do is add it to the sauce and quickly stir a few times to coat. If it turns out a bit too thick, just pour in a small amount of pasta water to loosen up the texture. Straight from the skillet, the cowboy spaghetti just needs to be topped with bacon, shredded cheese, chopped herbs, and a few dollops of sour cream — and then it's good to hit the dining table.