Mga kabayan ko! I have a special recipe for you today, vegan Filipino spaghetti. This is not your average spaghetti recipe, nope. It's made with a deliciously sweet and rich "meat" sauce, swirled in spaghetti noodles, and topped with sliced hotdogs. Perfect for serving at parties or even having as a week's meal prep. It's delicious, comforting, and takes your taste buds to a whole other level.
My first taste of Filipino spaghetti would have to be from Jollibee. It was so delicious, cheesy, and sweet - it was my favorite thing ever. Guam used to have Jollibee restaurants, but they closed their chain years ago…but recently reopened again. So, during that time my mom would make us her version, and it would be just as delicious! However, while I was recreating this dish, it definitely made me miss my mom a lot. She would cook this for my brother and me often because it was an easy recipe for her to make in large quantities. Especially during her busy work weeks. We would have so much leftover that we would eat spaghetti for a good couple of days. I grew up eating this so much that I actually prefer this sweet version over the traditional tomato sauce.
Now that I'm married, I realized that my husband hasn't had a taste of my mom's Filipino cooking! So I wanted to recreate my mom's recipe for him. Which was fairly easy to make because banana ketchup is accidentally vegan, and I swapped out the animal products for vegan-friendly options! Now, it's something that I make at least once every two weeks. It's so good, and if you're a vegan Filipino like I am, you'll definitely love this vegan version.
What is Filipino spaghetti?
Filipino spaghetti is an adaptation of a typical spaghetti Bolognese. Perhaps the biggest difference is that it has a distinctively sweet sauce and is topped with sliced hotdogs. This is definitely not your typical pasta dish. It's such a classic Filipino dish that not only is it served during special occasions, but it's also served at many fast-food restaurants. And the one famous restaurant is Jollibee!
What makes the sauce so sweet?
As I've stated, Filipino spaghetti sauce is sweeter than your normal spaghetti sauce. The reason being is that Filipinos love their food to have a touch of sweetness to it. Whether it be their cured meats, like logganisa or tocino, or their sauces. There has to be something slightly sweet to complement their savory flavors. For this recipe, the added sweetness comes from banana ketchup. I know it sounds weird, but it really doesn't taste bananas at all - it's almost like sweet chili sauce!
Ingredients you’ll need for vegan Filipino spaghetti:
- Spaghetti noodles
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Onion
- Vegan ground beef
- Vegan Hotdogs
- Tomato Paste
- Del Monte Traditional Pasta Sauce
- Jufran Banana Ketchup
- Neutral-tasting dairy-free milk
- Sugar
- Vegan mozzarella
- Salt & pepper to taste
Top tips:
- Servings. This recipe serves about 6-8 people, perfect for a small gathering! But you can easily half the recipe if you are not planning to serve that many people.
- Hotdogs. I know what you’re thinking, HOTDOGS? IN A SPAGHETTI? Yes! Filipinos like this particular red hotdog, which can only be found in the Philippines or in Asian supermarkets - It’s a Filipino staple. Obviously, we don’t have a vegan option for that, so I opted for regular vegan hotdogs. But don’t knock it, until you try it!
- Banana Ketchup. This ketchup is very specific Filipino ketchup. It’s sweet but tastes nothing like bananas or regular ketchup. This is the main ingredient that you’ll need for this recipe, you can’t make it without it! You can find this at almost all Filipino/Asian Supermarkets. Just make sure to always check that it is vegan friendly.
- Cheese. Traditional Filipino spaghetti is always served with a type of yellow-orange cheese, it almost looks like cheddar, but it’s not! I used vegan mozzarella instead because it’s more mellow in flavor, which compliments the recipe, unlike cheddar.
- Tomato sauce. Get a plain flavored tomato sauce. If you use something with strong herbs, it will alter the flavor too much.
- Dairy-free milk. In traditional Filipino spaghetti, they used evaporated milk to make it creamy. I find using slightly thicker milk, such as cashew or soy, gives it that same creaminess as spaghetti. I would refrain from using oat or almond as they are mostly water-based milk.
If you like this recipe, you might want to check these out:
If you’ve tried this vegan Filipino spaghetti recipe out let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe and don’t forget to tag me when you create my recipes! Happy cooking!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Filipino Spaghetti
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Sharp knife
- Large saute pan
- Deep pot
- Large colander
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Jufran Banana Sauce (I used the 19.76 oz (560g) bottle, see notes)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups Del Monte Traditional Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 lb spaghetti noodles
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 4-5 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ large onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 pack vegan ground beef (I used Impossible Meat)
- 8 - vegan hotdogs (thinly sliced diagonally, I used Light Life)
- ½ cup neutral-tasting dairy-free milk (I used soy)
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella (I used Vio-Life)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Before you start cooking, have your ingredients prepared, and have your equipment ready. This will help the cooking process go by quicker and smoother!
- In a mixing bowl, add the banana ketchup, tomato paste, pasta sauce, and sugar. Mix until well combined and set aside until ready to use.
- Fill a large pot with water, salt it generously, and cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Before draining, reserve ⅓ cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
- Heat up the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions to the pan. Saute for about 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Next, add in the sliced hotdogs, and cook until lightly browned. Then. add in the vegan ground beef and continue to cook until the meat has browned all over. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato sauce mixture to the pan, along with the reserved pasta water. Stir until well combined. Lower the heat to medium-low heat, and continue to simmer for about 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, add in the non-dairy milk, salt, and pepper. Stir until incorporated. At this point, I like to add half of the vegan cheese so that it can melt a little bit in the sauce, and save the remaining cheese for later.
- Combine the cooked spaghetti and sauce in the same pan. Top it off with the remainder of the vegan cheese. Serve amongst 8-10 people, and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe serves about 8-10 people, perfect for a small gathering! But you can easily half the recipe if you are not planning to serve that many people.
- Hotdogs. I know what you’re thinking, HOTDOGS? IN A SPAGHETTI? Yes! Filipinos like this particular red hotdog, that can only be found in the Philippines or in Asian supermarkets. It’s a Filipino staple. Obviously, we don’t have a vegan option for that, so I used regular vegan hotdogs. But don’t knock it, until you try it!
- Banana Sauce/Ketchup. This ketchup is very specific Filipino ketchup. It’s sweet but tastes nothing like bananas or regular ketchup. This is the main ingredient that you’ll need for this recipe, you can’t make it without it! You can find this at almost all Filipino/Asian Supermarkets. Just make sure to always check that it is vegan friendly.
- Cheese. Traditional Filipino spaghetti is always served with a type of yellow-orange cheese, it almost looks like cheddar, but it’s not! I used vegan mozzarella instead because it’s more mellow in flavor, which compliments the recipe, unlike cheddar.
- Tomato sauce. Get a plain flavored tomato sauce. If you use something with strong herbs, it will alter the flavor too much.
- Dairy-free milk. In traditional Filipino spaghetti, they used evaporated milk to make it creamy. I find using slightly thicker milk, such as cashew or soy, gives it that same creaminess as spaghetti. I would refrain from using oat or almond as they are mostly water-based milk.
R says
Hello
I have two questions 😊 We cannot find Jufran Banana Ketchup, we found the brand but it's called sauce not ketchup. Is it the same thing Google said yes, but I want to make sure.
Your recipe reads one bottle... What size bottle ?
Hoping to hear back soon
R✌🏾♥️
Floured Frame says
Yes! Jufran banana sauce and ketchup are the same thing. I apologize, I know it as ketchup haha.
And the bottle size I used is the 19.06 oz (560g).