Filipino style spaghetti is unlike any spaghetti you’ve had before. It’s sweet and salty, made with banana ketchup, topped with sharp cheddar cheese and has hotdogs! It’s a beloved dish served at almost all Filipino celebrations.
(Looking for another Filipino noodle dish? Try this easy and delicious pancit canton recipe.)
Filipinos grew up having spaghetti for their birthday (noodles signify luck and long life) and it’s always a part of Filipino celebrations.
It’s perfectly sweet and salty, hearty and filling, delicious.
Why you’ll love Filipino spaghetti style
I know that sweet Filipino spaghetti isn’t for everyone. Who makes spaghetti with banana ketchup anyway? And sweet pasta? The horror!
But lemme tell you, Filipino spaghetti sauce just works and once you try it, you might be surprised at how much you like it.
- Kid-friendly. Kids love the sweet and salty flavor, plus hotdogs!
- Easy to make. And if you’ve ever made regular spaghetti, Filipino style spaghetti is made the same way.
- Comfort food. Grew up with weekend trips to Jollibee? This pinoy spaghetti recipe is not only a trip down memory lane but pinoy comfort food at its finest, too.
How to make
Filipino spaghetti ingredients
At first glance, Filipino spaghetti sauce ingredients are very similar to that of regular spaghetti sauce — ground beef or ground pork, tomato sauce, garlic, onions — but look closer and you’ll find:
- Hotdogs — ideally you’ll want to use Filipino hotdogs but any brand will do. I just don’t recommend substituting with sausages.
- Banana ketchup — sometimes called banana sauce. You can find it in Asian supermarkets and Amazon. I don’t recommend using tomato ketchup.
- Heavy cream — this is cream that has at least 36% milk fat. Whipping cream (at least 35% milk fat) will work, too.
- Sugar — just regular white sugar.
Step-by-step photos
Using a large saucepan on medium heat, fry hotdog in oil until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from pan.
Using the same pan, sauté garlic and onions until translucent.
Stir in ground beef.
Cook until the beef is browned (5-6 minutes).
Add back the hotdogs, tomato sauce, tomato paste, banana ketchup, heavy cream and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Serve meat sauce on top of cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with a generous helping of cheddar cheese.
Expert cooking tips
Easy, right? Here are tips for perfect Filipino style spaghetti every time.
- Don’t overcook your pasta. This is true for all pasta dishes; you want to keep your spaghetti noodles al dente. You don’t want your pasta to get too mushy once combined with the sauce.
- Taste with pasta. When tasting the meat sauce on its own, it will taste very sweet. So you might end up over-seasoning it with salt to offset the sweetness. A better way is to taste the sauce with some spaghetti. It will taste sweeter than your usual bolognese — but what you’re looking for is a nice sweet and salty balance.
- Combine just before serving. Sometimes we serve the meat sauce on top of the cooked pasta, sometimes we combine the pasta and the sauce in the pot. If you’re doing the latter, be sure to combine just before serving.
- Serve with grated cheese. And I find that the sharper the cheese, the better! It works so well with the sweet sauce. We usually skip the parmesan here.
Recipe FAQs
Unlike Italian spaghetti which is more on the acidic side because of all the tomatoes, Filipino spaghetti is sweeter; it actually has sugar in the list of ingredients.
It has banana ketchup too. It’s the more commonly available variety in the Philippines (Jufran, anyone?) with many considering tomato ketchup too sour.
Filipino spaghetti also has hotdogs in it.
Filipinos are great at improv and since beef is expensive, we use the cheaper, more readily available hotdog to make the dish meatier.
Filipino spaghetti is delightfully sweet and salty.
I think Jollibee spaghetti is a really great example of how it should taste like (a close second would be the spaghetti from Makati Supermarket of the 80s) but every family has its own take on the dish.
Much like how you’ll find a million and one variations of adobo!
Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge. It should keep for up to 3 days.
You can freeze the sauce if you want to keep it for longer. Simply place the cooled sauce in a freezer-safe container or large Ziploc bag.
No need to thaw, just place the frozen sauce in a saucepan to reheat.
More Filipino recipes for your celebrations
Planning a get-together? Add these to your menu:
Filipino spaghetti was such a big part of our lives growing up.
Whether it’s Noche Buena, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Eve; Father’s Day, someone’s birthday or graduation, you’ll most likely find spaghetti being served (add some Filipino pork barbecue and smoked party ribs!)
We love it, hope you do, too!
Looking for more pasta recipes? Slow cooked minced pork ragu is delicious, lemon caper pasta is perfect if you’re looking for a bright and light lunch and angel hair pomodoro is packed with fresh Campari tomatoes.
Happy cooking!
Did you make spaghetti Filipino style? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest and YouTube.
Filipino Style Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp canola oil can use any neutral oil
- ½ lb hotdogs (about 6 pieces) sliced into ½ inch thick pieces
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 2 oz tomato paste
- 4 oz banana ketchup
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- ⅛ cup granulated sugar see notes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb spaghetti cooked al dente
- sharp cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Using a large saucepan on medium heat, fry hotdog in oil until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from pan.1 tbsp canola oil, ½ lb hotdogs (about 6 pieces)
- Using the same pan, sauté garlic and onion until translucent.1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Stir in ground beef and cook until the beef is browned (5-6 minutes).1 ½ lbs ground beef
- Add the hotdogs, tomato sauce, tomato paste, banana ketchup, heavy cream and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.15 oz tomato sauce, 2 oz tomato paste, 4 oz banana ketchup, 2 tbsp heavy cream, ⅛ cup granulated sugar, salt and pepper
- Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve meat sauce on top of cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with a generous helping of cheddar cheese.1 lb spaghetti, sharp cheddar cheese
Video
Notes
- You can substitute ground pork for ground beef, or use a combination of both.
- When tasting the meat sauce on its own, it will taste very sweet. So you might end up over-seasoning it with salt to offset the sweetness. A better way is to taste the sauce with some spaghetti. It will taste sweeter than your usual bolognese – what you’re looking for is a nice sweet and salty balance.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Stephanie
This sounds amazing and something that my entire family would enjoy! Although, I’ve never heard about banana ketchup before, but I do love sharp cheddar cheese!!
Jolina
Banana ketchup is sometimes called banana sauce here and it’s sweeter than tomato ketchup 🙂
Jen
I love Filipino spaghetti! My lola makes it all the time. I would love to surprise her by making it for her. Thanks for the recipe.
Lois Alter Mark
Banana ketchup?? As someone who isn’t too fond of the acidity in tomato ketchup, I can only imagine how delicious this sweeter version would be! What a fun, easy meal for the whole family- definitely makes me want to look up more Filipino cooking and flavor profiles.
Jolina
Sometimes called banana sauce 🙂 And yes, definitely sweeter than tomato ketchup!
Olivia Stacey
This recipe sounds so delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try this weekend. Thanks for sharing– I’m sure it will be a hit!
David Elliott
This sounds so interesting. I wouldn’t have thought of using hot dogs for the meatballs. And I would be curious about the sauce there being sweeter and less acidic.
Nayna Kanabar
Its very interesting to read how different countries have their own version of dishes and how different the taste and flavours are.
Shar
Filipino Spaghetti is always my fave kind! Always reminds me of family and this is what I always make for my own family now that I’m a mom. That’s is for this!!!
Jolina
It’s awesome isn’t it? It always reminds me family too 🙂
Charlotte
oooo we love pasta and spaghetti in this house! This looks like a great adaptation of a traditional classic that we will have to try!
Liz
This looks so yummy I’m always on the lookout for a good pasta recipe!
Denise Wright
I thought this was going to be like my grandma’s spaghetti but no I don’t think it is. However it looks super interesting! Just one question though, could you substitute something for the banana ketchup? My niece was just telling my sister last week about Filipino spaghetti oddly enough. We had never heard of it. (Nice Sheldon reference too by the way 😉 )
Jolina
Hi Denise! Hmmm. I’m not sure to be honest because we haven’t done it without. I suppose you can leave it out and just adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar? PS: I’m happy you got my Sheldon reference! 🙂
May
Yummmm! I love spaghetti pasta. I am going to try this recipe as it looks super delicious and easy. 🙂
Blair
Our Filipino-style is so unique! My mom likes to serve this to us as a welcoming-home food 🙂
Jolina
It’s definitely different. I remember growing up if we had spaghetti on the table then it must be a special day 🙂
Aziel Morte
Wow, I really love to try this recipe it’s simple and looks yummy. I will bookmark this
Claire
I’ll try out your recipe it looks delicious and really simple.
Apolline
This is my favourite! My daughter has made us all to love it too.