Filipino Spaghetti

Now here’s a unique twist on a beloved classic: Filipino Spaghetti. It’s takes your usual Meat Spaghetti Sauce and adds in some unexpected ingredients like hot dogs, soy sauce and banana ketchup. The next time you crave spaghetti, try it the Filipino way!

That’s right, my friends, spaghetti isn’t just Italian anymore. If you’ve ever tried my Mexican Green Spaghetti, you’ve seen just how versatile everyone’s favorite pasta shape can be.

What Makes Filipino Spaghetti Different?

The first difference many people notice about this dish compared to a conventional Bolognese is the presence of hot dogs. As you can imagine, these add a salty component, as well as bumping up the meaty factor.

What you can’t tell by looking at it though is that the sauce is actually sweet. This is because of the use of banana ketchup. I managed to find some at my local Asian grocery store, but if you can’t find it nearby, you can easily order banana ketchup online.

Filipinos also swap out the parmesan garnish for cheddar cheese. Hmm, reminds me of Cincinnati Chili!

This dish, which originated in the mid-1900’s, has become one of the most popular comfort foods in the Philippines, and is often served at special occasions.

Fun fact: in the Philippines, this sweet hot dog spaghetti is frequently found on fast food menus, including local branches of KFC and McDonalds.

Filipino Style Spaghetti Recipe

1. First, I heat up a little oil and brown up the sliced hot dogs, then remove them to a plate.
2. Next, I add ground pork and cook, breaking it up into small crumbles, until it is no longer pink.
3. After that, I add grated onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes.
4. Then, I add tomato passata, banana ketchup, tomato paste, chicken broth and soy sauce and give everything a good mix. I bring the sauce to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
5. While the sauce is simmering, I boil the spaghetti in salted water, then drain.
6. I serve the spaghetti topped with sauce and grated cheddar cheese. Alternately, you can mix the pasta into the sauce before serving.

Variations, Tips and Notes

• The hot dogs can replaced with other similar meats like Vienna sausages, Spam or even canned corned beef.
• Likewise, you can also swap the ground pork for ground beef.
• Sometimes other sweeteners are used in place of the banana ketchup such as brown sugar or condensed milk. Please don’t use tomato ketchup though, it is not nearly sweet enough for an authentic Pinoy spaghetti.
• If you’re in a hurry, many Asian supermarkets sell pre-made packages of Filipino style spaghetti sauce. Just brown up the hot dogs and ground pork before adding in the sauce.
• Don’t forget to salt the pasta water, otherwise your noodles will be bland. I shoot for about 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon of water.
• I always reserve a bit of pasta water before draining. If the sauce becomes too thick for my liking, I just stir in a little of this starchy water.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days and reheated either on stovetop or in the microwave. Note that if everything is mixed together before storing that the pasta will absorb some of the sauce. You can stir in a little water, broth or olive oil to loosen the dish back up when reheating.

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More Great Filipino Recipes:
Chicken Caldereta
Bistek Tagalog
Pork Adobo
Filipino Picadillo
Chicken Asado
Arroz Caldo
Pancit

Filipino Spaghetti, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Filipino Spaghetti Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This Filipino Spaghetti features a sweet sauce and hot dogs, making it a unique spin on pasta night.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 10.5oz hot dogs, sliced
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 small onion, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 24oz tomato passata
• 1 cup banana ketchup
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 2.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 pound spaghetti
• cheddar cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced hot dogs and cook until browned. Remove to a plate.
2. Add ground pork and cook, breaking it up into small crumbles, until it is no longer pink.
3. Add grated onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add tomato passata, banana ketchup, tomato paste, chicken broth and soy sauce. Mix well. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
5. While the sauce is simmering, boil the spaghetti in salted water to your preferred doneness.
6. Serve spaghetti topped with sauce and grated cheddar cheese.

Notes

• The hot dogs can replaced with other similar meats like Vienna sausages, Spam or even canned corned beef.
• Likewise, you can also swap the ground pork for ground beef.
• Sometimes other sweeteners are used in place of the banana ketchup such as brown sugar or condensed milk. Please don’t use tomato ketchup though, it is not nearly sweet enough for an authentic Pinoy spaghetti.
• If you’re in a hurry, many Asian supermarkets sell pre-made packages of Filipino style spaghetti sauce. Just brown up the hot dogs and ground pork before adding in the sauce.
• Don’t forget to salt the pasta water, otherwise your noodles will be bland. I shoot for about 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon of water.
• I always reserve a bit of pasta water before draining. If the sauce becomes too thick for my liking, I just stir in a little of this starchy water.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days and reheated either on stovetop or in the microwave. Note that if everything is mixed together before storing that the pasta will absorb some of the sauce. You can stir in a little water, broth or olive oil to loosen the dish back up when reheating.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 624Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 20gCholesterol 105mgSodium 991mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 4gSugar 10gProtein 33g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.