Cowboy Spaghetti

It sounds a little manly but I liked it. And the sauce actually seemed kind of light. I know what you are thinking "How does a sauce with bacon in it seem light?" Okay, it wasn't a "light" dish but you use a small amount of sauce to pasta ratio making it feel lighter. This is a Rachel Ray 30 minute recipe though it did take me slightly longer. It also says that the full recipe makes 4 servings. Well, I halved it and still ended up with 4 heaping servings so keep that in mind. I also used whole wheat spaghetti to make it a tad healthier.


Cowboy Spaghetti
Probably makes 8 servings - Source http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cowboy-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:


1 pound spaghetti, whole wheat preferred
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 slices raw smoky bacon, chopped
1 pound ground sirloin
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
Ground black pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beer
1 (14-ounce) can, chopped or crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1 (8-ounces) can, tomato sauce
8 ounces sharp Cheddar, shredded
4 scallions, sliced

Steps:

Heat a pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and salt the water. Cook to al dente.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon, 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary. Leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add beef and crumble it as it browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions, garlic and stir into meat. Season the meat with salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Add 1/2 cup beer and deglaze the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes more then stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Add hot spaghetti to meat and sauce and combine. Adjust seasonings and serve up pasta in shallow bowls. Grate some cheese over the pasta and sprinkle with scallions. Garnish with crisp bacon.