My Mom's Famous Filipino Spaghetti Will Forever Change How You Cook Ground Beef

Growing up, it was pretty much a guarantee that Filipino spaghetti was served at every children’s birthday party I went to. The addition of banana ketchup (made from bananas, vinegar, and sugar, and dyed red to resemble its more well-known counterpart) and sliced hot dogs to a sweet tomato sauce that’s tossed with spaghetti made it the ultimate kid food. And while I don’t eat it as much these days, I now have two kids who love sugar, hot dogs, and pasta in no particular order.

Recently, I was in need of some dinner inspiration and called my mom to have her walk me through making it. After a bit of trial and error (because, though my mom is a great cook, she doesn’t measure anything), I finally nailed the perfect recipe. Here, I call for beef hot dogs, ground beef, and tomato ketchup, as well as my mom’s genius ingredient combination of soy sauce and fish sauce, which makes her version the absolute best. Top individual bowls with shredded yellow cheddar cheese (an unlikely combo also used in Cincinnati chili that really works), and watch it quickly disappear.

Why You’ll Love It

• A new way to enjoy hot dogs! If you’re looking for other ways to get your hot dog fix outside of grilling them in the summertime, look no further. This delicious spaghetti calls for adding sliced hot dogs to the sauce for an even meatier flavor.

• Bound to be a dinner favorite of both kids and adults alike. This is the ultimate Filipino comfort food. And unlike other recipes out there, this version has the right amount of sweetness.

Key Ingredients in Filipino Spaghetti

• Hot dogs: It wouldn’t be Filipino spaghetti without hot dogs. While it’s traditional to use Filipino-style hot dogs made from a blend of pork and dyed bright red, my mom was always partial to using beef hot dogs in her version.

• Ground beef: Doubling down with ground beef adds to the meaty richness of this sauce. Again, my mom only ever used ground beef, but it’s common to see recipes that call for ground pork instead.

• Ketchup: Most recipes rely on banana ketchup, but my mom liked to stir tomato ketchup into hers. I tried it both ways, and found that I much preferred the version with tomato ketchup which lends the dish a tomatoey sweetness (mom was right).

• Bay leaves, soy sauce, and fish sauce: Adding this trio to the sauce infuses it with a richer, more robust flavor.

How to Make Filipino Spaghetti

1. Make the sauce. Sear sliced hot dogs in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven until browned all over, then transfer to a bowl. Cook minced garlic and chopped yellow onion in olive oil, then add ground beef, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook until browned. Add tomato paste, hot dogs, tomato sauce, water, ketchup, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar, and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened.

2. Cook the pasta. Boil dried spaghetti until al dente, then drain and return to the pot.

3. Toss it all together. Pour most of the sauce over the spaghetti and toss to evenly coat. When serving, top with remaining sauce and shredded yellow cheddar cheese.

Helpful Swaps

• While my mom and I prefer beef hot dogs, you can swap in any other hot dogs you like.

• Ground pork can be used in place of the ground beef.

• Banana ketchup can be substituted for the tomato ketchup. You’ll want to leave out the 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, then taste and season with sugar as needed after the sauce is ready.

Filipino Spaghetti Recipe

Made with hot dogs, ketchup, and ground beef, it’s the ultimate Filipino comfort food.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried spaghetti

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 5 beef hot dogs, cut crosswise on a slight diagonal into 1/4-inch thick pieces

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

• 1 pound ground beef (85% lean)

• 3 dried bay leaves

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce

• 1 cup water

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, plus more as needed

• Shredded yellow cheddar cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, high-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 5 sliced hot dogs and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a medium bowl.

2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 4 minced garlic cloves to the pan. Cook until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Add 1 finely chopped medium yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

3. Add 1 pound ground beef, 3 dried bay leaves, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon into bite-size pieces, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste is slightly caramelized, about 1 minute. Stir in the hot dogs, 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, add 1 pound dried spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. When the pasta is ready, drain and return to the pot. Add 3/4 of the sauce (about 5 cups) and toss until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve topped with the remaining sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.

Recipe Notes

Substitutions

• Ground pork can be used in place of the ground beef.

• Banana ketchup can be substituted for the ketchup. Omit the 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar in Step 4, then taste and season with sugar as needed after the sauce is ready.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Further Reading

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