Japanese Napolitan Spaghetti
Quick answer
- Total time
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Napolitan grew out of postwar Japan, when ketchup and Vienna sausages were easier to find than pricier ingredients, and it still tastes like retro home cooking.
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The ketchup is fried in the pan before the noodles join it, cooking off its water so the raw tang turns into concentrated tomato sweetness, with Worcestershire adding a fermented, savory layer. Sausage browns first, until its edges color and the pan smells of it. The onion and green pepper get only a quick blast of high heat so they stay crisp, and a knob of butter at the end softens the ketchup's tang into a sweet, salty gloss.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Cook 180 g spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente, so the center still has a slight bite.
Before draining, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water for loosening the sauce later.
- 2
Slice 100 g onion and 80 g green bell pepper into thin strips, and cut 120 g sausage on the diagonal.
Shake off excess moisture before stir-frying so the vegetables sear instead of steaming.
- 3
Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp cooking oil, and stir-fry the sausage for 2 to 3 minutes.
When the edges turn lightly browned and aromatic, the pan is ready for the vegetables.
- 4
Add the onion and green bell pepper, then stir-fry over high heat for only 1 to 2 minutes.
Stop while the onion is just translucent and the pepper still has a crisp texture.
- 5
Lower the heat to medium, add 4 tbsp ketchup and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir constantly until the sauce darkens slightly, looks glossy, and the sharp acidity softens.
- 6
Add the cooked spaghetti and toss while adding the reserved pasta water a little at a time, just until the sauce coats the noodles.
Melt in 1 tbsp butter at the end for gloss and a smoother finish.
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