Giddy up. Adam Liaw’s big, bold and beefy cowboy spaghetti is dinner, sorted

Name: Giddy up. Adam Liaw’s big, bold and beefy cowboy spaghetti is dinner, sorted
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American,Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 5 bacon rashers, sliced into 1cm lengths; 500g beef mince; 1 brown onion, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup); 1 tsp Tabasco, plus extra to serve; 1 beef stock cube; 2 tsp smoked paprika; salt and black pepper, to season; 500g dried spaghetti; 2 cups shredded tasty cheese; 4 spring onions, finely sliced; sour cream, to serve

Adam Liaw

September 18, 2025

Cowboy spaghetti is a little bit Texan, a little bit Italian but all delicious.William Meppem

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

This bigger-than-Texas spaghetti is about as un-Italian as it gets, but it’s delicious.

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 bacon rashers, sliced into 1cm lengths
500g beef mince
1 brown onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
1 tsp Tabasco, plus extra to serve
1 beef stock cube
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt and black pepper, to season
500g dried spaghetti
2 cups shredded tasty cheese
4 spring onions, finely sliced
sour cream, to serve

Method

Step 1
Heat a large, deep frypan over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the bacon until browned and remove it from the pan. Add the beef mince and brown it well, then add the onion and garlic and fry for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Tabasco, stock cube and smoked paprika. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the directions on the packet. Drain, reserving about ½ a cup of the pasta cooking water.
Step 3
When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the meat mixture, along with some of the pasta cooking water. Mix well and allow the sauce to coat the pasta, adding more of the water if required. Return the bacon to the dish, stir through half the cheese, then transfer to a serving plate and scatter with the remaining cheese and spring onions. Serve with sour cream and extra Tabasco.

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