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.

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

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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 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.

What is the difference between Filipino spaghetti and regular spaghetti? ›

Filipino spaghetti (also known as sweet spaghetti) is a Filipino adaptation of Italian spaghetti with Bolognese sauce. It has a distinctively sweet sauce, usually made from tomato sauce sweetened with brown sugar and banana ketchup.

What's a secret ingredient for spaghetti? ›

Anchovy paste is considered a hidden ingredient in spaghetti sauce because most people have no idea it is in there. You do not need much, but even a small amount creates a rich, salty base.

What is the most popular Filipino sauce? ›

The most common type of sawsawan is the toyomansi (or toyo't kalamansi), which is a mixture of soy sauce, calamansi, and native Siling labuyo. It can also be seasoned with vinegar and patis (fish sauce). This sauce is typically served with roasted meat dishes.

Why is Filipino spaghetti so good? ›

The addition of sweet banana ketchup (or in some cases, condensed milk) to the tomato sauce, and that of sliced red hotdogs into the ground beef mixture satisfied guest appetites (and the birthday child's sweet tooth) and the household budget, resulting in the ultimate nostalgia evoking birthday dish-slash-comfort food ...

Why is pinoy spaghetti sweet? ›

The Americans introduced spaghetti to the Filipinos in the 40s. At one point there was a shortage of tomato sauce hence the alternative was to use local ingredients like banana ketchup. The flavor was adjusted and tweaked to cater to the filipino's sweet palate.

What does Jollibee spaghetti taste like? ›

Perhaps remove any preconceived ideas about what this should taste like and just let it happen. The noodles are firm and not mushy despite swimming in sauce, and the bites of hot dog, also a bit sweet, work in sync with the tomato sauce and provide a hearty, substantial texture.

Why is spaghetti sweet in the Philippines? ›

Instead of the savory tang a typical tomato-based spaghetti sauce has, Filipino spaghetti gets its unique sweetness from banana ketchup, which is exported to dozens of countries with large Filipino populations. It's nicely balanced with the saltiness from hot dogs, which also adds a textural snap.

What can I add to spaghetti to make it amazing? ›

8 Ways to Elevate Canned Spaghetti Sauce
  1. 1 - Extra virgin olive oil. Adding a good amount of a flavorful olive oil will go a long way in infusing flavor into your sauce. ...
  2. 2 - Fresh garlic. ...
  3. 3 - Meat. ...
  4. 4 - Hot pepper flakes. ...
  5. 5 - Red wine. ...
  6. 6 - Fresh or dried herbs. ...
  7. 7 - Cheese. ...
  8. 8 - Cream and/or butter.
Feb 26, 2018

What gives spaghetti more flavor? ›

13 Ways to Make Any Jarred Pasta Sauce Better
  1. Start with the right pasta and sauce. ...
  2. Season with dried herbs. ...
  3. Or flavor with fresh herb sprigs. ...
  4. Double up on tomato goodness. ...
  5. Add more garlic and/or onions. ...
  6. Sweeten and thicken with squash purée. ...
  7. Punch things up with a pinch of chili flakes. ...
  8. Try this secret ingredient.
Dec 9, 2022

What can I add to spaghetti to make it tasty? ›

Here's a variety of tasty vegetables you can load into your pasta for their flavor, fiber, and nutrients.
  1. Broccoli. Broccoli is a nutritious and versatile vegetable that makes a great addition to any pasta dish. ...
  2. Mushrooms. ...
  3. Peas. ...
  4. Spinach. ...
  5. Tomatoes. ...
  6. Asparagus.
Apr 11, 2022

What is the spaghetti rule? ›

How to eat spaghetti etiquette. The rules of bon ton are clear, spaghetti should be eaten with a fork so away knife and spoon! The dish symbol of Italian life in the world has a very precise code at the table that says that eating spaghetti with a spoon is not correct.

What is the finger rule for spaghetti? ›

Fit in your fingers.

This method is less reliable than the others (after all, everyone has different size hands) but it's a *handy* trick in a pinch. Make a circle with your index finger and thumb, then fill the center with long noodles. That will be your portion prior to cooking.

What is the name of the Filipino sauce? ›

This toyomansi recipe is a classic Filipino dipping sauce that takes only 5 minutes to make. Perfect for roasted and grilled meats, noodles and more, bringing a delicious salty and sour flavor to your eats.

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