Cowboy Spaghetti

OK....I may be the first to admit I'd never heard of this.  Apparently, it's a throwback to the 60's or 70's (or maybe longer), but there's a darned good reason it's come back to life.  This stuff is good!!!!  It's a bbq version of spaghetti sauce.  And I have to tell you, I really think I like it better.

Again on a frig/freezer clean-out, I found half a pound of ground beef and half a pound of ground turnkey breast I was looking for a home for when I ran across this recipe.  Generally, I would have split this recipe in half since there are just the two of us, but I decided to use the entire recipe and just freeze the leftovers (cleaning out the freezer?!!!)  No matter, I'm thrilled to have another batch of this wonderful "spaghetti sauce" just sitting and waiting for use to finish it up!

Garnish this with sliced green olives, onions, and cheddar cheese.  Serve with a green salad, if you like, and a whole-grain baguette from Panera to throw in some, well, whole-grain goodness.

COWBOY SPAGHETTI (4-6 servings)

1 pound spaghetti noodles (I use 2 oz per serving)
6 slices regular or turkey bacon, diced
1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp finely minced garlic
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional, but really, not optional)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce

Toppings:

sliced black olives
shredded cheddar cheese
sliced green onions

In a 12" nonstick skillet (I used a 10" and it was filled to the top....use a 12" if you have it), cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Scoop the bacon onto a plate with paper towels and drain the grease, if needed, leaving a tsp or so in the skillet for cooking the ground meat.

Return the skillet to medium heat and cook the ground turkey or beef with the onion, S&P.  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.

Stir in the cooked bacon (reserving any for sprinkling on top, if desired), crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, Worcestershire, liquide smoke (if using, really?) and BBQ sauce.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes (the mixture can gently summer for up to an hour). 

Boil the spaghetti noodles according to package directions until al dente.  Serve the sauce over hot noodles and garnish wtih the toppings of your choice.