Cowboy Spaghetti With Cheese Sauce - Rachael Ray

LizP's Note:

I saw Rachael Ray make this on her show and I thought it looked delicious. I made it tonight and it was OUTSTANDING. The jalapenos definitely add a lot of spice to the cheese sauce, so if you have little ones you may want to remove some of the sauce and keep it separate for them before you add the peppers. The only change I made is that I added 2 cans of drained pinto beans. Rachael says this serves 4, but I think it serves 8 easily.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb spaghetti
• salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 -4 garlic cloves, chopped
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 5 ounces ale beer, about 1/2 bottle
• 14 ounces crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 4 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt, then the pasta and cook spaghetti until al dente according to package directions.
2. Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon, about 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary but leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the sirloin and crumble it with a wooden spoon as it browns, 3-4 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, and season with salt, pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire, chili powder and cumin.
3. Cook for another 5-6 minutes. Add the beer, cook for 1 minute more then add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring up to a bubble and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
4. While the meat sauce is cooking, make the cheese sauce: Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat and add butter. When the butter melts, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock and then the milk. Thicken for 2 minutes then stir in the cheese and melt, for another 2 minutes. Stir in the jalapenos and scallions. Season with a little salt and pepper.
5. Drain spaghetti, add to the meat sauce and combine.
6. Pour into a large serving bowl and pour the cheddar cheese sauce over the top.

Reviews

[Naturelover]

This is a great recipe. On Food Network the recipe just says to sprinkle the cheese over the finished product, along with the bacon and scallions, but it omits the chili powder and cumin, which I think adds a lot to the dish. So I combined them and made it easier by not making the cheese sauce and adding the chili powder and cumin. Thank You for posting.

[ChelseaW]

I made this recipe off of the RR website the first time and then found it on here. It is awesome, thanks for posting!

[Lucky in Bayview]

Total comfort food for us. I'm really glad we tried it and so glad you posted the recipe. Thank you!