Learn how to make a Japanese family’s favorite pasta, Napolitan (Japanese Ketchup Spaghetti), in one pot. Ready in 10 minutes, this quick version delivers comfort food with the convenience of one-pot cooking!
Welcome to the 2nd installment of our Easy College Meal Series! We kicked it off with a 10-Minute Instant Ramen Recipe, and next on the list is a Japanese dish that brings instant comfort and childhood nostalgia: Napolitan Pasta (also known as Japanese Ketchup Spaghetti).
To make this popular pasta all in one pot and under 10 minutes, we use Dezin Electric Cooker, which we specifically bought for our son so he can cook in his dorm without a stove. It’s the best gift for college kids or anyone living in a small apartment. Let’s take a look at how you can put this recipe together!
Table of Contents
Quick Background of Napolitan
This unique pasta dish brings together the comfort of Italian pasta with a twist of Japanese flair, combining a rich, tangy ketchup-based sauce with a medley of savory ingredients.
Here we have tender spaghetti drenched in a bright red sauce, loaded with juicy slices of sausage, crisp bell peppers, and onions, all simmered to perfection.
Since ketchup is the key flavor in this pasta, it’s no wonder it has been a kid-and-family favorite in Japanese households since the 1950s.
Wish to learn more about the origin of the dish? Click over to my original Ketchup Spaghetti recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A speedy pasta meal done in 10 minutes. Who doesn’t like that, especially on a hectic day?
- Affordable and adaptable — you’ll need only pantry staples and fresh produce that last long in the fridge.
- Store well in the fridge or freezer — double the portion, and you’ll have another meal ready on standby.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Spaghetti
- Vegetables: Onion, green pepper, mushrooms
- Sausages
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Sauce seasonings: Ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, butter (optional)
Substitution Tips
- Swap the protein — You can use ham or bacon to replace the sausages.
- To make it vegetarian-friendly, leave out the meat and add more mushrooms. Try using different types of mushrooms for texture and flavor.
- Other crunchy vegetables such as fresh peas, sugar snap peas, broccolini would work, too.
How to Make the Best Napolitan
- Cut the ingredients ahead of time. Once you start cooking, it’s fast!
- Stir the onion and sausage slices first. Then add water and bring it to a boil. Cook the pasta, and when it’s almost done, add the bell pepper and mushrooms. Discard the pasta cooking water when the pasta is done cooking.
- Season the pasta and ingredients with butter, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Enjoy immediately!
Recipe Tips
- Use Kagome Tomato Ketchup from the Japanese grocery store for an authentic taste. This is the ketchup we use to make Omurice as well.
- Use Worcestershire sauce to balance out the sweet ketchup taste. In a pinch, you can use Tonkatsu sauce or soy sauce.
- Do not overcook the veggies so they retain the crunchy textures.
Storage & Reheating
- To Refrigerate: First, let the pasta cool down to room temperature. Transfer it to an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
- To Reheat. To reheat from the fridge, simply microwave the pasta for a couple of minutes, or until warm through. To reheat from the freezer, place the frozen pasta in the fridge and let it thaw overnight. Once thawed, the rice can be microwaved for a couple of minutes.
Complete Your Meal
Napolitan makes a satisfying meal on its own. And if you like, you can put together a really quick salad to go with the pasta. Grab a box of spring mix and dress it with one of these easy Salad Dressings. There you’ll have it: a simple but nonetheless very cozy dinner.
Easy College Meal Series
The concept of this College Meal Series came about as my son started living in the dorm at his college. Since cooking is a life skill, I decided to put together simple, cheap, and easy recipes for not just my son but anyone who needs these beginner recipes.
As mentioned earlier, we use this versatile Dezin Electric Cooker to cook all kinds of dishes, including my son’s favorites like 10-Minute Elevated Instant Ramen.
You can use your saucepan or frying pan to cook these dishes instead of the Dezin as well.
I hope you enjoy this 10-Minute Napolitan (Ketchup Pasta) Recipe. Don’t miss the video, which my son actually cooked following my recipe on Instagram!
10 Min Meal – Napolitan (Japanese Ketchup Spaghetti)
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ onion
- ¼ green bell pepper
- 2 mushrooms
- 2 Japanese sausages (like kurobuta or arabiki sausages from the Japanese market; you can substitute another type of sausage, ham, or bacon)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or any neutral oil)
- 2 cups water
- 4 oz spaghetti
- ½ Tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (divided)
For the Seasonings
- 3 Tbsp ketchup (use Kagome brand ketchup for an authentic flavor)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea & Perrins brand; you can substitute tonkatsu sauce or soy sauce)
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. I use an electric pot for this recipe and others in the 10-Minute Meal series. You also could use a regular saucepan on the stove.
To Prep the Ingredients
- Cut ¼ onion into thin slices.
- Cut ¼ green bell pepper into thin strips. If your bell pepper is long, cut it in half widthwise first before cutting it into strips.
- Cut 2 mushrooms into thin slices. Cut 2 Japanese sausages diagonally about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
To Cook
- Place all the ingredients on a tray or plate. Now, heat the pot on medium-high heat or Mode II (600W) on the electric pot. Add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- Add the sausages and onion and stir-fry until they are slightly tender and charred. Stir frequently since the pot heats up really fast.
- Add 2 cups water and bring it to a boil. You can cover the pot with a lid so the water boils faster.
- When boiling, add ¼ tsp salt. Break 4 oz spaghetti in half (so that it fits in the pot) and add to the boiling water.
- Make sure the pasta is submerged completely. Cook, uncovered, for 11 minutes.* * For Napolitan, we typically cook the pasta according to the package instructions or slightly longer instead of al dente.
- After 7 minutes have passed, add the bell peppers and mushrooms. We don't add them from the beginning so they don't get overcooked.
- After 10 minutes (1 minute left on the timer), reduce the heat to medium or Mode I (250W). Using a ladle, remove as much of the pasta water as possible.
- Add ½ Tbsp unsalted butter (optional) and combine well.
- Add 3 Tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Combine well and add up to ¼ tsp salt, to taste.
To Serve
- Serve immediately and enjoy! This recipe is best consumed as soon as you prepare it, so I don’t recommend keeping leftovers.
Easy and just works!
Hi Hazm! Aww. We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish.
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!