Sweet-Style Spaghetti Recipe

One of the most nostalgic memories of any Filipino childhood is having sweet-style spaghetti at birthday parties. 

There are a few staples in a Filipino birthday party: hotdog and marshmallow skewers stuck into a watermelon, lumpiang shanghai, and (you guessed it) spaghetti. This is not just any spaghetti; we are talking rich, meaty, sweet spaghetti sauce over pasta and topped with cheese. 

The Filipino style of making sweet spaghetti sauce may be a source of debate for netizens and chefs all over the internet. While the distinctly sweet and savory flavor may not be for everyone, it holds a special place in every Filipino's heart. Every Filipino family has their own taste and preference when it comes to the ingredients. This spaghetti sauce recipe may include some healthier twists, and it's a great basic spaghetti sauce recipe to start with before you create your own nostalgic plate of pasta. 

How do you make this sweet-style spaghetti recipe easy?

The recipe itself is a basic spaghetti sauce recipe with a few local tweaks that make it appetizing for anyone and everyone. 

Besides being easy, this spaghetti sauce recipe can be modified to cater to that nostalgic taste or create a completely new flavor. One of the tweaks we made includes adding carrot and celery (to make it healthier for our young, picky eaters!) but these can be omitted. You can also add mushrooms, bell peppers, or even change the kind of meat to make it all ground beef, all ground pork, or all ground chicken. (Ground chicken has less flavor though, so it's best to use it as a replacement for either the ground beef or pork.). The Vienna sausage can also be switched to regular or cheese hotdogs for that extra cheesy goodness!

Want to take it up a notch? After mixing the sauce into the pasta, you could put the spaghetti in a casserole dish, top it with grated quick-melting cheese, and pop it in the oven to make a baked spaghetti dish!