Filipino Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

The key to the sweet flavor of this hot dog-studded meat sauce is a full cup of banana ketchup.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated January 06, 2024
A plate of spaghetti with Filipino spaghetti sauce.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Why It Works

  • A ratio of one part banana ketchup to two parts tomato sauce gives the dish its signature sweetness.
  • Browning the ground meat and breaking it up thoroughly before adding the liquid ingredients ensures a uniform texture.

Six years ago in Manila, I found myself at a child's birthday party grabbing one of every food being offered: fried chicken, spaghetti, and a San Miguel. At the end of the buffet table next to a full-sized image of Big Bird and the required karaoke machine, I had my first taste of Filipino spaghetti.

The meat sauce was laden with sugar and hot dogs—definitely not the spaghetti of my youth. It was no doubt kid's food but I couldn't help myself from really enjoying it, and went back for seconds to go with the remainder of my beer. Since then, whenever Filipino spaghetti appears at a family function, I semi-secretly gorge on it, having an odd attraction to the sweetness.

One of the major sweeteners in this tomato sauce is banana ketchup, which I had a surplus of after working on that recipe. As I finished an oversized plate of the Filipino spaghetti, wieners and all, my wife couldn't believe I liked it so much—to her it's more of a nostalgic thing. But what can I say, it may be designed for the kids, but there's no shame in an adult loving this meaty, sweet tomato sauce too.

February 2013

Recipe Details

Filipino Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Cook 35 mins
Active 15 mins
Total 35 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)

  • 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic (about 1 medium clove)

  • 1 pound ground beef or pork

  • 5 hot dogs (preferably Oscar Meyer wieners), cut into 1/4” slices

  • 1 cup banana ketchup

  • 2 cups tomato sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 cup grated American or cheddar cheese, for serving

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add in onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

    Chopped onions cooking in a pan.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  2. Add ground beef or pork and break up with wooden spoon. Cook until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

    Ground beef cooking with onions in a pan.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  3. Stir in hot dogs, banana ketchup, tomato sauce, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked spaghetti and top with grated American or cheddar cheese.

    A scoop of sauce resting in a wooden spoon.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
856Calories
58gFat
38gCarbs
48gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories856
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 58g74%
Saturated Fat 22g108%
Cholesterol 171mg57%
Sodium 2107mg92%
Total Carbohydrate 38g14%
Dietary Fiber 3g11%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 48g
Vitamin C 14mg71%
Calcium 283mg22%
Iron 6mg32%
Potassium 1271mg27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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