This dirty spaghetti recipe is loaded with ground beef, andouille sausage, the Cajun holy trinity, and a rich, beefy gravy. It comes together in about 30 minutes and it's always a hit at our table.
If you haven't seen Dirty Spaghetti all over your social media feed yet, my friends, it's only a matter of time. This recipe has been having a serious moment, and once you taste it, you'll see why people can't stop making it.
This isn't your typical spaghetti. Forget the red sauce. Dirty spaghetti is made with a rich gravy-style base made with beef broth, a roux, Cajun seasoning, and two kinds of meat. it's a bold, hearty pasta with a Southern comfort food spin. Rustic for sure, but hugely satisfying.
I make mine with ground beef and andouille sausage, the Cajun holy trinity, and a surprising secret weapon ingredient that ties it all together. It comes together in about 30 minutes and I think you'll be jumping to add this to your regular rotation. Let me show you how to make it.
What is Dirty Spaghetti?
Dirty spaghetti is a Southern-inspired pasta dish made with a savory, broth-based meat sauce instead of your typical marinara. It's inspired by the bold flavors of classic Cajun dirty rice and uses the same general concept - seasoned ground meat, the Cajun holy trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery, and deep Southern flavor. It's all tossed with spaghetti instead of rice.
The "dirty" in the name refers to the color and texture of the dish. Once the seasoned meat, roux, and broth come together, the sauce turns dark and silky, coating every strand of pasta with flavor. It's not pretty, but that's kind of the point.
You can see why it went viral. It's easy, cheap, filling, and it tastes like something you'd order at a restaurant. BOOM.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Big Cajun flavor. Andouille sausage, Cajun seasoning, and the holy trinity bring on the big flavor.
- Ready in about 30 minutes. Whip it together for a quick weeknight meal.
- No red sauce. The beefy gravy-style base is a total game changer.
- Customizable heat. Dial it up or keep it mild, your call.
Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make dirty spaghetti. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Spaghetti. You can use other noodles, but spaghetti grabs up all that sauce.
- Ground beef (80/20). Swap in other ground meats, but this is pretty standard.
- Andouille sausage. Smoked sausage is classic in Cajun cuisine, and andouille is the king. Conecuh, kielbasa, or other smoked sausage are good swaps.
- Yellow onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic. The Cajun holy trinity, plus "the Pope", which is garlic. These are the standard base flavors for many Cajun dishes, like dirty rice, gumbo, jambalaya, and so many other Southern classics. Some people skip the celery, but I recommend using it.
- Unsalted butter and all-purpose flour. These make the roux that thickens the sauce. It's a small step that makes a big difference, and I'll cover it in the tips section below.
- Beef broth. The liquid base of the sauce. Use a good-quality broth for the best flavor, or your favorite bouillon.
- Tomato paste. Rich tomato flavor and umami.
- Worcestershire sauce. A splash supports that umami flavor. You'll miss if you skip it.
- Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix. Yes, really. This is the secret weapon everyone is using. One packet adds more rich flavor and seasoning than beef broth alone. Don't skip it.
- Cajun seasoning. Use your favorite brand, or try my homemade Cajun seasoning recipe with no salt, as you'll get plenty of salt from the packet mix and beef broth.
- Smoked paprika. For slight smoky notes that go great with the andouille.
- Black pepper and salt. To taste.
- Green onions and fresh parsley. For garnish.
How to Make Dirty Spaghetti
Here's the full walkthrough with helpful recipe tips. If you just want the quick version, scroll down to the recipe card. But if it's your first time making this, read through here first. I'll show you what to watch for so it comes out great.
Step 1: Brown the ground beef.
Heat a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add your ground beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks and hit it with a pinch of salt and pepper. You want it mostly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Don't rush this part, as you get lots of flavor from those brown bits.
Once it's cooked, drain off most of the fat but leave about a tablespoon in the pan. That little bit of beefy fat helps build flavor into the roux, coming up in a bit.
Step 2: Cook down the holy trinity.
Lower the heat to medium and move the ground beef to the side to make room. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. This trio is the holy trinity, the flavor base behind pretty much every great Cajun dish. Cook it for about 5 minutes, stirring here and there, until everything softens up and the onion turns see-through. Your kitchen is going to start smelling amazing right about now. This is when Patty tends to perk up.
Step 3: Add the andouille and garlic.
Add your sliced andouille and minced garlic. You only need about a minute of cooking. You're looking for the garlic to smell fragrant and the edges of the andouille to pick up a little color. Watch the garlic closely, my friends. It goes from perfect to burnt fast, and burnt garlic will turn the whole dish bitter.
Step 4: Make the roux.
This is what makes dirty spaghetti taste like dirty spaghetti. Push everything in the pan to the edges to clear a spot in the middle. Add the butter in the open space and let it melt, then sprinkle the flour right over it. Stir the butter and flour together constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
This cooks out the raw flour taste, and you'll know it's ready when it smells a little nutty and toasty instead of pasty. This is what thickens the sauce, which adds loads of flavor and make it really cling to the spaghetti noodles.
Step 5: Make the sauce.
Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire, and packet of onion soup mix. Slowly pour in the beef broth, a little at a time, stirring as you go. Adding it slow keeps the roux smooth. If you dump it all in at once, you can end up with lumps.
Stir in the Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and black pepper, then let the whole thing come to a gentle simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. It'll thicken and turn a deep, dark brown as it cooks. This is what you want. It should look glossy and coat the back of a spoon. Give it a taste and add salt if it needs it.
Step 6: Cook the spaghetti.
While that sauce simmers, boil your spaghetti in a big pot of well-salted water. Cook it to al dente, just barely tender with a little bite left, since it'll keep cooking a bit once it hits the hot sauce. Before you drain it, scoop out about a half cup of the starchy pasta water and set it aside.
Step 7: Bring it all together.
Add the drained spaghetti to the pan of sauce and toss it around so every strand gets coated. If it looks a little tight or dry, splash in some of the reserved pasta water a bit at a time to loosen it up. The starch from the pasta water acts as an extra thickener and helps the sauce stick to the noodles.
Step 8: Garnish and serve.
Serve your dirty spaghetti into bowls and top with sliced green onions and a little fresh parsley. It's a nice pop of freshness that balances out the rich flavors. Serve it up hot and dig in. BOOM.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Don't skip the roux. It only takes 2 minutes and it makes a big difference. Skip it and you'll get a thinner, watery sauce that doesn't coat the noodles.
- Don't skip the soup mix either. The Lipton Beefy Onion packet sounds old-school, but people swear by it for a savory, umami punch. No packet? Whisk together 3 tablespoons dried minced onion, 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder for a quick homemade version.
- Toast the tomato paste. Add it to the pan and let it cook for a minute or two before you add the broth. This extra step deepens the flavor quickly.
- Heat control. You'll get a mild-to-moderate kick from the andouille and Cajun seasoning (though my homemade version is spicy). To turn up the heat, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, or stir in a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end. You can also add a hot chili when you cook down the aromatics.
- Go full dirty rice. Real dirty rice gets its name from chicken livers or giblets cooked into the dish. This recipe doesn't use it. It's really more of a Cajun pasta than a true dirty rice riff, but that's what everyone is calling it and the flavor is fantastic regardless. If you want more of a real deal dirty rice spin, try adding 2-3 ounces of finely chopped chicken livers when you brown the ground beef. They'll mostly disappear into the sauce, but you'll get that earthy depth dirty rice is known for. Prefer to skip the livers? Diced boneless chicken thighs are another great option.
- One-pot dirty spaghetti. I've seen several versions of this recipe just add dry spaghetti directly to cook in the sauce for more of a one-pot dish. It works, but it's harder to control the noodle texture. If you go this route, add an extra 1/2 cup of broth to compensate for what the pasta absorbs. If it's too al dente, add a bit more water or broth and simmer until done to your liking.
What to Serve With Dirty Spaghetti
Dirty spaghetti, or any spaghetti honestly, is great on its own, but here are a few side ideas if you're looking for a pairing:
- Roasted or sautéed greens. Try my savory Southern collard greens, sauteed spinach, or smothered green beans to match that overall Southern flavor.
- Cornbread. Keeps the Southern vibe going and great for soaking up extra sauce. Try my skillet cornbread or jalapeno cornbread recipe for extra kick.
- Garlic bread. Pretty much required with any pasta.
- Simple green salad. Never a bad idea to start a rich and hearty pasta course.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover dirty spaghetti in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The pasta will continue absorbing sauce as it sits, so leftovers are often more flavorful the next day.
Reheat: warm it gently in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of beef broth or water to loosen the sauce. You can also microwave individual portions in short intervals, stirring between each, until heated through.
Freezing: The meat sauce freezes better on its own than with the pasta already mixed in. Freeze the sauce separately, then cook fresh spaghetti when you're ready to serve.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this recipe for dirty spaghetti. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
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More Spicy Cajun Recipes to Try
- Dirty Rice Recipe
- Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
- Blackened Chicken
- Chicken Fricassee
- Red Beans and Rice
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- See all of my Cajun Recipes
More Spicy Pasta Recipes to Try
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Dirty Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers diced (optional, for a spicy kick)
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 0.5 pound andouille sausage sliced (or swap in ground Italian sausage)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix packet
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1.5 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 0.5 teaspoons black pepper
- 0.5 teaspoons salt to taste
- 1 pound spaghetti
- To Serve. Fresh chopped green onion, fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking the meat up as it cooks. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until mostly cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, bell pepper, optional jalapeno, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and andouille sausage. Cook another 60 seconds until fragrant and the andouille browns.
- Push the meat and vegetable mixture to the sides of the pan. Add the butter to the center and let it melt. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for about 1-2 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste. This is your roux, the step that makes it taste like dirty rice and thickens the final sauce.
- Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix packet. Pour in 2 cups beef broth gradually, stirring to incorporate the roux.
- Add Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and darkens. Taste and adjust salt.
- While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti noodles until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- Add the drained spaghetti to the pan sauce and toss to coat. Add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Everything should be dark, clingy, and saucy, not soupy.
- Serve onto plates and top with freshly chopped green onion and parsley, and red pepper flakes to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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