Filipino-Style Spaghetti Sauce (Banana Ketchup Version)

Unlike the spaghetti you're used to from your local Italian joint, Filipino spaghetti is sweet and saucy, packed with juicy red hot dogs, ground pork, and cheese. It is a mainstay at birthday parties, often right next to that tray of pancit. Like what Filipinos say all the time, “Noodles for long life!”

Most Filipinos opt for store-bought Filipino style spaghetti sauce or using a bottle of banana ketchup to make the dish to save time from creating a sauce from scratch. In this recipe, you can opt for a jar of Fila Manila next time you make spaghetti. It saves loads of time and it’s very delicious!

Banana ketchup was invented during World War II due to a shortage of tomato imports to the Philippines. Using bananas produced in the Philippines to create a sweeter version of ketchup proved convenient and enjoyable for locals!

When I was little, my mom combined sausages, onion, garlic, bell peppers, carrots, and celery for my birthday spaghetti. As the years went by, the ingredients sometimes changed, but she never forgot to add banana ketchup for that signature Filipino spaghetti sweetness. Now, whenever I’m feeling nostalgic, I pull out my mom’s old recipe paired with extra cheese and a nice glass of red wine.