Filipino-Style Spaghetti
Filipino-style spaghetti swaps out the savory Italian original for a sweeter, meatier version built on banana ketchup and a touch of condensed milk. It’s the pasta dish you’ll find at nearly every birthday party, fiesta, and Christmas table in the Philippines, piled high with sliced hotdogs and a generous blanket of melted cheese. This version comes together in under an hour and always disappears fast.
Watch It Made
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Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti noodles in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until fragrant, then add the ground pork. Cook, breaking it apart, until browned and no longer pink.
- Add the sliced hotdogs and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly seared.
- Stir in the banana ketchup, tomato sauce, and sugar. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Pour in the evaporated milk and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce and toss until every strand is coated.
- Transfer to a serving platter and top generously with grated quickmelt cheese while hot so it melts into the noodles. Serve immediately.
Cook's Tip
Let the sauce simmer low and slow before adding the noodles — this is what caramelizes the banana ketchup and sugar into a deeper, rounder sweetness instead of tasting flat and one-note.