ONE POT 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 Banana Ketchup 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.

4 Servings

Cooking Time: 1 hr 25 min

Ingredients

• 0.5 pound uncooked spaghetti
• 0.5 tablespoon oil
• 2 Filipino-style hotdogs, sliced diagonally
• 0.5 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1.5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 0.5 bell pepper, seeded, cored and chopped
• 0.5 pound ground beef
• 1 cups tomato sauce
• 0.25 cup tomato paste
• 0.5 cup Fila Manila banana ketchup
• 0.5 cup beef broth
• 0.5 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 0.25 cup quick-melt cheese, shredded

Direction

1. In a pot over medium heat, cook spaghetti in salted boiling water according to package's direction for about 7 to 9 minutes or until firm to bite. Drain well.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil. Add sliced hot dogs and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add onions, garlic, and bell peppers to pan. Cook until softened.
4. Add ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking into small pieces until lightly browned. Drain any excess fat.
5. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, and beef broth. Stir in sugar.
6. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about one hour or until meat is fully cooked and sauce is thickened. If the sauce is getting too thick, add water in ½ cup increments as needed.
7. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add browned hot dogs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. To serve, spoon spaghetti sauce over noodles and top with shredded cheese.

Product Used