Filipino Spaghetti

Christmas season in the Philippines starts in September. We build and string up festive lanterns called parol, holiday music streams through the streets, and everything is lit up for months. This excess of celebration culminates in one final party on Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena. Buffet tables are set with all sorts of celebratory Filipino foods, but for me, the reason for the season is Filipino-style spaghetti.

A mash-up of Filipino and American traditions, this now classic Filipino dish (a popular version is a staple at Filipino fast-food sanctum Jollibee) comprises tangy banana ketchup and tomato sauce, simmered with ground pork, sliced hot dogs, and lots of sliced garlic. Tossed with the requisite spaghetti noodles and topped with grated cheese (Edam or cheddar, please), Filipino spaghetti sauce is sweeter and smokier than the Bolognese-style Italian spaghetti sauce American colonizers brought to the islands.

This Southeast Asian comfort food is the perfect addition to a Christmas buffet (or a birthday party, or any other large family gathering). The meat sauce comes together in less than an hour—important when preparing several dishes in one night—and it’s undeniably ma sarap (delicious).

If you don’t do pork, swap in ground beef—or make a vegetarian version with your favorite plant-based alternatives.