Filipino-style Spaghetti Recipe

Banana ketchup in the sauce? Hotdogs with the meat? Yep, folks! that is Filipino-style spaghetti for ya. Sweet and cheese-y, this is not your typical bolognese. And I won’t have it any other way.

Filipino-style Spaghetti

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 to 3 jumbo Filipino-style hotdogs, sliced diagonally
• 1 cup banana ketchup (preferably sweet and spicy)
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup cup quick-melt cheese (such as Velvetta), grated
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, heat oil. Add sliced hotdogs and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add onions and garlic and cook until limp. Add ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking into small pieces, for about 7 to 10 minutes until browned. Drain any excess fat.
3. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup and beef broth. Stir in sugar. 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 sauce is getting too thick, add water in 1/2 cup increments as needed. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add browned hotdogs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In pot, cook spaghetti in boiling water according to package's direction for about 9 minutes or until firm to bite. Drain well.
5. To serve, spoon spaghetti sauce over noodles and top with grated cheese.