Pinoy Spaghetti Recipe (2024)

Pinoy Spaghetti is the Filipino version of the ever popular pasta that is of Italian origin. This version of Spaghetti requires the use of sugar, hotdogs, and banana catsup. It might some peculiar to some but these ingredients brings up a whole new flavor that is totally Filipino.

Being loved mostly by the young ones, every kiddie party won’t be complete without this dish. Ginormous Fast Food chains such as Jollibee and Mc Donald’s even have their own Pinoy Spaghetti version (mostly included in their kid’s meal or kiddie meal). Yup, that isn’t any typographical error; In the Philippines, Mc Donald’s serves spaghetti; They called it Mc Spaghetti.

Though this dish is just a variation, Pinoy spaghetti deserves to be listed in our Filipino Food or Pinoy food list.

Try this delicious Filipino recipe : Pinoy Spaghetti.

Jump to Recipe

By: Vanjo Merano 12 Comments Updated: 4/22/23

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

If you grew up around a Filipino family, you’ve more than likely seen Pinoy Spaghetti at your birthday party tables. The common noodle dishes in Filipino homes include the sweet and salty variations of pancit (for long life, of course) and the creamy, rich carbonara. But most popular still is the classic Pinoy Spaghetti –– packed with meat, tomatoes, and sugar in a dish we all know and love.

Pinoy Spaghetti Recipe (1)

Contents hide

Where is this served?

How to Make a Classic Pinoy Spaghetti

Pinoy Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients

spaghetti sauce ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information

Did you make this?

What makes Pinoy Spaghetti so unique to other variations of the classic pasta dish is its sweetness! We Filipinos have an almost incurable sweet tooth,and we never miss our chance to sugar things up ––even in meaty, savory dishes like spaghetti! The ingredients to Filipino style spaghetti sound a little odd at first –– sugar? Banana ketchup? Hotdogs? –– but they all come together in the end for a meal you really can’t get enough of! I even made a trademark Panlasang Pinoy Spaghetti recipe; that’s how addictive this pasta can be!

Where is this served?

Pinoy Spaghetti is a common offering at many birthday parties, especially for children. Paired with a delicious fried chicken and orange juice or co*ke, it’s really hard not to adore the combination of flavors! I like to have mine with a piece of toast, sometimes even with garlic bread. The rich mix of sweet and savory in the spaghetti makes it a delicious meal, be it for lunch, merienda, or dinner.

Many fast food restaurants in the Philippines have taken Pinoy Spaghetti and made it one of their main dishes. Brands of flavoring and condiments have added Pinoy Style Spaghetti Sauce to their list of offerings; you can find these in supermarkets around the country. You can find a recipe where I use store-bought sauce here. This is for people who don’t have a lot of time to make the Pinoy Spaghetti sauce from scratch, but still want to have that bite of comfort. However, I still add ground pork to this to make it a little meatier.

But did you know that to make homemade Pinoy Spaghetti Sauce is easy, too? A lot of the ingredients for Pinoy Spaghetti can be easily found in any typical Filipino household; this is what makes it so well loved in the first place. I like this recipe best because it’s just the right balance of sweet and meaty. You might want to read up on some tips on how to make your best version of Pinoy Spaghetti, too!

In just a few steps, you’ll get to serve this comfort food to your family in no time!

How to Make a Classic Pinoy Spaghetti

Prepare all the ingredients

Prepare all the ingredients for Pinoy Spaghetti before delving into the actual cooking proper. In a large pot, add in water and bring it to a boil. Don’t forget to sprinkle salt in the water to give the pasta flavor even before adding in the other ingredients! Add in your 2 lbs (or around 1 kilogram) of spaghetti noodles into the pot, and let it cook according to package instructions. You don’t want your pasta to end up too limp nor too tough, after all. Cooking your spaghetti according to package instructions should give you the optimal pasta texture you’re after.

Make the sauce

Now it’s time to make your Pinoy spaghetti sauce! With a separate pan, take your minced garlic and diced onion and sauté the two together. Once your onions have become more tender, it’s time to add in your ground meat. I use either pork or beef, but my Sweet Chicken Spaghetti shows that you can also make use of ground chicken or even turkey breast. Let it cook for 5 minutes or until the meat turns brown. Then add in your next meat: your hotdogs! I use 4 pieces of hotdogs, slicing them up into little bite-sized pieces.

Add in your tomato sauce, banana ketchup, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Stir these ingredients together and let them simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. This will let the Pinoy Spaghetti sauce thicken, as well as let the meat absorb the sweetness of the sugar and banana ketchup.

Toss the noodles and sauce together

Once your sauce and noodles are ready separately, it’s time to combine them! Pour your hot Pinoy spaghetti sauce over your cooked noodles and mix them together. Last but not least, serve your shredded cheddar or Quickmelt on top! The cheese adds to the yummy flavor of Pinoy Spaghetti –– you simply can’t have spaghetti without it!

Serve and enjoy!

Transfer your pasta to a platter and serve it while hot. And there you have it –– your Pinoy Spaghetti is ready to be enjoyed! Have it at a party with friends or even just for yourself ––a nice, relaxing comfort treat after a long day.

Let us know what you think of this Pinoy Style Spaghetti!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

Pinoy Spaghetti Recipe (2)

Pinoy Spaghetti Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour

Print RecipeRate Recipe

6

Ingredients

  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 2 tbsp Salt
  • 36 ounces Water about 1 liter

spaghetti sauce ingredients

  • 1 cup banana ketchup
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp Garlic minced
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 4 hotdogs sliced
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil

Instructions

  • In a large pot, pour the water in and bring to a boil

  • Put-in the salt

  • Add the Spaghetti Noodles and cook until tender (see package for cooking time) then set aside

  • Using a separate pan, saute the garlic and onions

  • Put-in the round meat and let cook for 5 minutes

  • Add the hotdogs and cook for 2 minutes

  • Put-in the tomato sauce, banana catsup, tomato paste, and brown sugar then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes

  • Place the sauce on top of the cooked noodles and add some cheese

  • Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 6g Calories: 707kcal (35%) Carbohydrates: 81g (27%) Protein: 28g (56%) Fat: 30g (46%) Saturated Fat: 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 14g Trans Fat: 0.03g Cholesterol: 73mg (24%) Sodium: 3161mg (132%) Potassium: 692mg (20%) Fiber: 3g (12%) Sugar: 17g (19%) Vitamin A: 422IU (8%) Vitamin C: 6mg (7%) Calcium: 93mg (9%) Iron: 3mg (17%)

© copyright: Vanjo Merano

Pinoy Spaghetti Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes Filipino spaghetti special? ›

It has a distinctively sweet sauce, usually made from tomato sauce sweetened with brown sugar and banana ketchup. It is typically topped with sliced hot dogs or smoked longganisa sausages, giniling (ground meat), and grated cheese. It is regarded as a comfort food in Philippine cuisine.

What is the secret to good spaghetti? ›

IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.

How long does Filipino spaghetti last in fridge? ›

Storage Instructions

Leftover spaghetti will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight container and reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.

How to make simple spaghetti better? ›

Try browning Italian sausage or just ground pork then adding tomato or spaghetti sauce and letting that cook for a while. The flavor is amazing and the grease from the sausage will stick to the noodles. You could also cook the noodles until their almost done and add them to the sauce to finish.

What is Filipino spaghetti sauce made of? ›

Filipino spaghetti is like spaghetti with meat sauce, except this recipe is much sweeter. It's all down to the Filipino spaghetti sauce, which is banana ketchup (also called banana catsup). While it's called ketchup, there are no tomatoes involved: in fact, the ingredients are just bananas, sugar, spices and vinegar.

How was Filipino spaghetti made? ›

A mash-up of Filipino and American traditions, this now classic Filipino dish (a popular version is a staple at Filipino fast-food sanctum Jollibee) comprises tangy banana ketchup and tomato sauce, simmered with ground pork, sliced hot dogs, and lots of sliced garlic.

Why do Filipinos put ketchup in spaghetti? ›

It's said that while in Japan, the general enjoyed spaghetti Neapolitan, a Japanese-style dish that uses ketchup as the base for the sauce. Upon relocating to the Philippines, the general continued to crave the sweet spaghetti, and his staff recreated it with the banana ketchup that, by then, was commonly available.

What is the most important ingredient in spaghetti? ›

  • tomatoes. Tomatoes is the most popular ingredient in spaghetti sauce dishes. ...
  • salt. Another popular ingredient in spaghetti sauce is salt. ...
  • olive oil. Olive oil is another common ingredient in spaghetti sauce dishes. ...
  • garlic. Another popular ingredient in spaghetti sauce is garlic. ...
  • pepper. ...
  • spaghetti.

What makes Filipino spaghetti sweet? ›

Filipino spaghetti, also known as sweet spaghetti, is a popular dish in the Philippines. It is made with banana ketchup and Filipino-style red hot dogs and topped with melty cheese.

Can I eat 5 day old leftover spaghetti? ›

Can I eat 5-day-old spaghetti? If the spaghetti has been stored on its own, it can be consumed at the 5-day mark even if the texture is slightly off. Cooked pasta lasts longer when not stored with sauce. If it is mixed with sauce, I recommend throwing it away after 5 days.

Can you put carrots in spaghetti? ›

For a classic marinara sauce, yes. It doesn't have to be spaghetti. The carrots add sweetness and help to add some depth to the sauce. They are usually finely chopped, not added in big hunks.

How to make spaghetti noodles for dummies? ›

Once the water has come up to a boil, you can throw the spaghetti in. Typically it should cook within 7-11 minutes - just follow the time on the box! Make sure to stir every couple minutes to keep it from sticking.

How is original spaghetti made? ›

Spaghetti made from the flour of hard durum wheat semolina, with water and salt added and cooked by boiling, has existed since the Roman Empire, but the history of its invention is not entirely clear.

Do you put spaghetti in boiling water or before? ›

Adding the pasta to water that isn't boiling will actually increase your overall cook time and cause your pasta to sit in the water longer. You will end up with pasta that has absorbed too much water with a mushy texture. Be patient and wait for a rapid boil; it'll pay off.

How is spaghetti actually made? ›

We mix together semolina flour, eggs, and water to create the dough. The dough is then kneaded by hand until it becomes smooth and elastic. This process helps to develop the gluten in the flour, which gives the noodles their signature chewy texture.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 6087

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.