One food that brings wonderful childhood memories to me is the Filipino Style Spaghetti...
I spent my elementary and high school years at Holy Infant Academy(HIA), a private school in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro where there is this yearly celebration called feast day. It is when we celebrate the feast of a patron saint assigned to each grade level. This means no class…just whole day of fun and play! Since we celebrate it outside the campus, we had to bring lunch with us. I can still remember that I had Filipino-Style Spaghetti and fried chicken drumsticks every feast day since 1st grade to 4th year high school. It’s like I was having a grand meal every time there’s spaghetti and fried chicken...and HIA feast days won't be complete without it! I just love that combination! I guess every Filipino kid does!
I spent my elementary and high school years at Holy Infant Academy(HIA), a private school in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro where there is this yearly celebration called feast day. It is when we celebrate the feast of a patron saint assigned to each grade level. This means no class…just whole day of fun and play! Since we celebrate it outside the campus, we had to bring lunch with us. I can still remember that I had Filipino-Style Spaghetti and fried chicken drumsticks every feast day since 1st grade to 4th year high school. It’s like I was having a grand meal every time there’s spaghetti and fried chicken...and HIA feast days won't be complete without it! I just love that combination! I guess every Filipino kid does!
So what’s in Filipino Style Spaghetti that kids love? Non-Filipino friends who have tasted this all said it tastes weird but is really good. Unlike Italian spaghetti which is full of spices and tomato sauce, Filipino spaghetti is sweet and it has hot dogs or Vienna sausage in addition to ground meat. No wonder Filipino kids love it! I can’t recall any Filipino kid’s birthday celebration without spaghetti on the table. But don’t get me wrong, Filipino-style spaghetti isn’t just for kids! Even Filipino adults love it…and I’m sure you will!
Here's my version of Filipino Style Spaghetti. Check it out!
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: ~45 minutes Servings: 10-12
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs spaghetti
- 1 lb ground beef or pork
- 6 pc. beef franks or Filipino red hotdogs, bias-sliced into 1/4" thick
- 2 cans Del Monte or Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce (26.5oz each) - I prefer using Meat or Garlic Flavor or a combination of both
- 1 cup Filipino Banana Catsup
- 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 oz) - I prefer using Hunt's Tomato Sauce with Basil, Garlic and Oregano
- 1 beef cube
- 1 medium-sized onion, minced
- 1 head garlic, minced
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8-10 quarts water (for cooking pasta)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil or butter for sautéing
- Some more parmesan or cheddar cheese for topping
