Ahhh my favorite! Filipino Spaghetti!
Filipino Spaghetti is unique mostly because of the sweet flavored sauce. The first time I tried “American” spaghetti I thought something was very wrong. It tasted so sour! Little did I know that my Filipino spaghetti was prepared with sweeteners added.
In this Filipino spaghetti recipe, I use sugar. However, I’ve seen a variety of things added to make the sauce sweet: banana ketchup, pineapple, sugar and more!
And the hot dogs! Can’t forget those! My recipe calls for Filipino red hot dogs. You should be able to find these at any Asian supermarket. They’re recognizable for their bright red casing as well as their deliciously salty flavor. Filipinos aren’t the only people to put hot dogs in spaghetti so feel free to use any hot dog or sausage you have on hand.
My secret ingredient in this Filipino spaghetti recipe is fish sauce! Just a small amount is enough to enhance the savoriness of the dish. Be careful not to use too much!
Finally, the last fun ingredient is processed yellow cheese. In the Philippines, we use Eden cheese but here in America, that’s not as easy to find. Velveeta will do the trick.
When melted, the processed cheese adds a nice texture to the sauce as well as giving it a vibrant color that definitely shouts “this isn’t your Italian grandma’s spaghetti!”
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- 1 jar Italian pasta sauce, 24 oz
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot (optional)
- 1 medium bell pepper (optional)
- 1 pound ground beef. pork or chicken ok
- 6 Filipino hotdogs (or any hotdogs if you’re desperate)
- 1 cup processed cheese. Velveeta or the ultimate: Eden
- 3 tablespoons sugar, to taste
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 1 cup reserved pasta water (just in case)
Directions
1. Cook your spaghetti noodles according to the directions but SUBTRACT 2 minutes from the recommended cook time. We will be cooking these noodles in the sauce to complete the rehydration process. Strain the pasta reserving a cup of pasta water just in case.
2. If you decided to use the optional carrots and bell pepper, you should now shred them. I recommend using a food processor but its not necessary. Also mince the garlic. At this point, you can also slice the Filipino hotdogs into bite sized pieces
3. In a large saucpan, pour some oil and begin frying the garlic. Then add the shredded carrots and bell peppers. Cook until these ingredients have softened. They should not add any crunch to the final product.
4. In the same pan, add the ground beef (or alternative). Fry while breaking up the meat until the ground meat is ALMOST cooked through. The meat will finish cooking while the sauce heats up. This should take about 5 mintues.
5. Once the ground meat is almost fully cooked, toss in the slice hotdogs. Because the hotdogs are already fully cooked, you can add your pasta sauce and begin heating. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Finally, add fish sauce. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. The longer you simmer, the sweeter the sauce!
6. Next, add the processed cheese. The cheese will melt faster and evenly if the cheese is shredded or cubed before adding. At this point, if you want to, add the reserved pasta water to thicken up the sauce. Simmer until the cheese is fully integrated into the sauce.
7. Add the nearly cooked pasta noodles and mix them into the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes
8. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Recipe
Filipino Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- 1 jar italian pasta sauce 24 oz
- 5 cloved garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 1 pound ground beef pork or chicken ok
- 6 Filipino hotdogs
- 1 cup processed cheese Velveeta or Eden brand
- 3 tablepsoons sugar to taste
- 2 teaspoons oil
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 cup reserved pasta water (just in case)
Instructions
- Cook your spaghetti noodles according to the directions but SUBTRACT 2 minutes from the recommended cook time. We will be cooking these noodles in the sauce to complete the rehydration process. Strain the pasta reserving a cup of pasta water just in case.
- If you decided to use the optional carrots and bell pepper, you should now shred them. I recommend using a food processor but its not necessary. Also mince the garlic. At this point, you can also slice the Filipino hotdogs into bite sized pieces
- In a large saucpan, pour some oil and begin frying the garlic. Then add the shredded carrots and bell peppers. Cook until these ingredients have softened. They should not add any crunch to the final product.
- In the same pan, add the ground beef (or alternative). Fry while breaking up the meat until the ground meat is ALMOST cooked through. The meat will finish cooking while the sauce heats up. This should take about 5 mintues.
- Once the ground meat is almost fully cooked, toss in the slice hotdogs. Because the hotdogs are already fully cooked, you can add your pasta sauce and begin heating. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Finally, add fish sauce. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. The longer you simmer, the sweeter the sauce!
- Next, add the processed cheese. The cheese will melt faster and evenly if the cheese is shredded or cubed before adding. At this point, if you want to, add the reserved pasta water to thicken up the sauce. Simmer until the cheese is fully integrated into the sauce.
- Add the nearly cooked pasta noodles and mix them into the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes
- Serve and enjoy!