Ketchup Spaghetti for One Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Cooking for One

by: Eric Kim

April30,2019

4.7

13 Ratings

  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 1

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Author Notes

Spaghetti Napolitan (named after Naples, Italy), or what I like to call "ketchup spaghetti," was invented by the head chef at the New Grand Hotel. Since tomato sauce was a rare ingredient in postwar Yokohama around the 1950s, ketchup was used as a substitute. —Eric Kim

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: The Story of Spaghetti Napolitan, Japan's Best Pasta Dish. —The Editors

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 4 ouncesspaghetti (I prefer thin, but regular is fine)
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 large organic egg
  • Olive oil, for frying egg
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoonsunsalted butter, divided
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoonsketchup^
  • 1 pinchsugar
  • 1 tablespoonmilk
  • 1/4 cupParmesan
  • 1/4 cupfresh chopped parsley
Directions
  1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, season with salt, and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, fry egg in some olive oil, sunny-side up, until crispy at the edges. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  3. When pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain, and set spaghetti aside for later.
  4. In the now empty pot, prepare the sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon butter and sauté onion and bell pepper for 2 to 3 minutes, until just starting to caramelize.
  5. Add the remaining tablespoon butter, then stir in the ketchup and sugar. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until ketchup has cooked down a bit. Splash in milk, along with the cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss with the sauce and fry pasta for a minute or so, adding some of the reserved cooking water to thin out as needed.
  6. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the Parmesan and parsley. Plate spaghetti, then top with the fried egg.
  7. ^If you've got tomato paste lying around, then substitute 1 of the tablespoons ketchup with tomato paste for a deeper, richer tomato flavor.

Tags:

  • Pasta
  • American
  • Tomato
  • Weeknight Cooking
  • Cooking for One
  • Entree
  • Dinner

Recipe by: Eric Kim

Eric Kim was the Table for One columnist at Food52. He is currently working on his first cookbook, KOREAN AMERICAN, to be published by Clarkson Potter in 2022. His favorite writers are William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, but his hero is Nigella Lawson. You can find his bylines at The New York Times, where he works now as a writer. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ericjoonho.

Popular on Food52

13 Reviews

YangHwa June 18, 2023

This was one of my comfort food growing up in Japan. For all those people calling this food vile, disgusting, etc, no one in Japan thinks this is real Italian food. It was a Japanese creation post war (as Eric has mentioned); along with Japanese curry (no one in Japan thinks it’s Indian curry), and Japanese hambagu (hamburger patties).

Matilda October 23, 2022

Bro, I’m Italian and trust me, if you go to Naples or everywhere in Italy and you show to someone this, I don’t think you will still alive. KETCHUP AND PASTA IS ILLEGAL!!! P.s. ketchup and tomato sauce are not the same thing, so please take the right decision and be a good chef! <3

Jenny M. June 26, 2023

To cook pasta and let it sit til the rest is done!

sister M. February 5, 2022

This is delicious. Will be making again for sure! Thanks!

mdelgatty March 8, 2020

Why would you fry the egg ahead of time, rather than just before serving so it's still hot?

Eric K. March 8, 2020

Hm, good point. I think I did that so you wouldn't have to dirty another pan. I suppose you could in theory make the spaghetti first, plate it, clean the pan (there'll be some gunk), and fry an egg in there. Or just fry in a separate pan so everything stays hot. Not important; do you!

mdelgatty March 9, 2020

And here I thought maybe I was missing something important! (Hate missing things...)

Jenny M. June 26, 2023

Why cook pasta ahead of time?

Lynn D. July 7, 2019

Waiting to make this when my husband is out of town. He-will-not-eat ketchup. I'm thinking of adapting it to a one pot Martha Stewart style pasta dis and adding cubed fried spam.

Claudia June 25, 2019

What a fantastic recipe. I quadrupled it to feed our family of 6, and it was a complete hit!!! Thank you for this simple AND flavorful version. This will be a staple from now on.

Eric K. March 8, 2020

Claudia, I'm so glad. Thank you!

Kelly V. June 7, 2019

This is fantastic! A great pasta recipe for one.

Eric K. March 8, 2020

Yay!

Ketchup Spaghetti for One Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Can you use ketchup instead of tomato sauce for spaghetti? ›

Ketchup: Use 1 cup of ketchup in place of 1 cup of tomato sauce. Add spices to tweak the flavor as needed. A bit of basil is a good choice.

Can ketchup be used for spaghetti? ›

There's no reason why ketchup couldn't be used in a pasta sauce. It is entirely possible to make a perfectly good pasta sauce with ketchup by combining other seasonings and ingredients.

What is the best spaghetti to sauce ratio? ›

For tomato-based sauces, a good rule of thumb to follow is to use one jar of 24-ounce pasta sauce for every 16-ounce package of pasta. When calculating how much sauce for pasta per person, generally about 2 to 4 ounces (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of sauce for each 2 ounce (about 1 cup cooked) serving of pasta would be needed.

What is the history of Napolitan pasta? ›

The Origin of Napolitan

The strongest theory is that it originated in Yokohama during the postwar era. Around the 1950s, the head chef at the New Grand Hotel in Yokohama created this recipe after being inspired by the spaghetti and tomato sauce dish served to the American military.

What can I put on spaghetti instead of tomato sauce? ›

Pasta with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and whatever veggies you want is a deceptively delicious way to pasta. Also known as “Aglio e Olio” (garlic and oil) pasta, this easy alternative to tomato sauce is quick, easy, and delicious.

Does ketchup count as tomato sauce? ›

Ketchup is the dominant term in American English and Canadian English, although catsup is commonly used in some southern US states and Mexico. In Canada and the US, tomato sauce is not a synonym for ketchup but is a sauce made from tomatoes and commonly used in making sauce for pasta.

Can you put ketchup on spaghetti in Italy? ›

According to Italians, 'putting ketchup on spaghetti' is the worst thing you can do to Italian food. Last month, Bonusfinder.com surveyed 1,400 Italian residents to identify the worst food crimes that other countries commit against authentic Italian food.

Do British people put ketchup on spaghetti? ›

In fact, southerners were the most likely to admit to topping their pasta with grated cheddar (64%) and twice the number of Londoners admitted to putting ketchup on their pasta (13%) than those from the North (6%).

Why avoid Heinz tomato ketchup? ›

It contains high quantities of sugar, salt, fructose, preservatives and corn syrup. All of these ingredients when combined together have an adverse effect on the body.

What adds depth to spaghetti sauce? ›

Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

Is spaghetti sauce better the longer it cooks? ›

A short cooking time protects the simple bright taste of barely cooked canned tomatoes. Keep the liquid for sauces where quantity, more tomato flavor or longer cooking is desired. Slightly longer cooking usually deepens and enriches the flavors of canned tomatoes.

How do you make spaghetti sauce taste richer? ›

Mix in Some Meat

Mixing meat into your jarred pasta sauce will do wonders for making it taste high-quality. Browning and adding some sausage, turkey, chicken or ground beef will increase your sauce's flavor, incorporate extra texture, infuse a heartier taste and up the protein content.

Why do Japanese love ketchup? ›

Around 1960, when Japan started to import ketchup from the US, Japanese people began to recreate the dish with ketchup since it was more readily available than tomato paste. It became increasingly popular because of how easy it is to make with the simplest of ingredients.

What is the oldest style of pasta? ›

Testaroli has been described as "the earliest recorded pasta". It is also a native dish of the southern Liguria and northern Tuscany regions of Italy. Testaroli is prepared from a batter that is cooked on a hot flat surface, after which it may be consumed.

Is lasagna the oldest pasta? ›

Lasagna (UK: /ləˈzænjə/, US: /ləˈzɑːnjə/, Italian: [laˈzaɲɲa]), also known as lasagne ( Italian: [laˈzaɲɲe]), is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made in very wide, flat sheets.

Can ketchup be used as sauce? ›

Ketchup is a sweet and tangy condiment that is made from tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and various spices and seasonings. It has a thick and smooth consistency and is commonly used as a dipping sauce for French fries, burgers, hot dogs, and other fast foods.

Can I use ketchup instead of tomato puree in pasta? ›

You might be asking if you can substitute ketchup for tomato puree or paste when using fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, and other types of tomatoes. Because ketchup has sugar and vinegar added, it has a stronger flavor and could overshadow the dish, making it a poor substitute for tomato puree or tomato paste.

What is a substitute for canned tomatoes in spaghetti sauce? ›

How to substitute tomato paste for canned tomato. Mix 4 tablespoons of tomato paste with 1 1/2 cups of water , 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. It will be watery when “raw” but once added into a dish like Bolognese, it thickens as it cooks (it only takes 3 minutes to thicken).

Is ketchup a good substitute for tomato sauce on pizza? ›

A tomato sauce is usually made by boiling tomatoes and making them into a thick paste. Whereas a pizza sauce is a tomato sauce, it's raw and uncooked with more herbs. Hence, many people want to know, "can you use ketchup on pizza?" The answer - yes.

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