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Home ► Recipes ► Dairy-Free

Spaghetti Napolitan

Updated: 03.17.25 | Marc Matsumoto | 21 Comments

4.69 from 16 votes
Spaghetti Napolitan (スパゲッティナポリタン) is a Japanese spaghetti dish made with cured meat, green peppers, and ketchup. It's a quick fix from pantry ingredients with a mouthwatering contrast between the savory meat and the agrodolce sauce.
Recipe Video
The main ingredient may surprise you, but Spaghetti Napolitan is an easy Japanese-style pasta that comes together from just a handful of pantry staples.

Spaghetti Napolitan (スパゲッティナポリタン)

If you’re Italian, you may want to look the other way because you might find this recipe offensive. That being said, Spaghetti Napolitan isn’t an Italian dish as the name would imply, but rather a Japanese creation from a bygone era. In the same way that California Rolls and Spicy Tuna Rolls were created in the West to adapt sushi to Western palates, Spaghetti Napolitan was created in Japan to suit the Japanese palate during a time when Western food first started to appear. It may not be authentically Italian, but it's been an authentic part of Japanese yōshoku for the past 90 years.

In fact, it’s become such a part of Japanese food lore, Spaghetti Napolitan has been featured in episodes of Midnight Diner and Food Wars. That’s probably why I’ve gotten so many requests for my Napolitan recipe.

Every version of this dish I've had before has had too much sugar added, making them too sweet for my tastes. I've eliminated the added sugar for my Napolitan recipe, as the ketchup has plenty of sweetness on its own. What you get is a tasty agrodolce sauce that's a perfect counterbalance for the salty cured meat. 

To be honest, I'd still prefer a proper Bolognese(takes 3 hours), or even my quick spaghetti (takes 30 minutes), but the appeal for kids —and the nostalgic appeal for grownups— is understandable. As a ridiculously quick fix that can be thrown together when your fridge is almost empty in about the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta, this Japanese Spaghetti is pretty hard to beat. 

Jump to:
  • Spaghetti Napolitan (スパゲッティナポリタン)
  • Why This Recipe Works?
  • Ingredients for Spaghetti Napolitan
  • How to Make Spaghetti Napolitan
  • More Japanese Pasta Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • FAQs
  • Comments

Why This Recipe Works?

  • Every version of this dish I've had before has had too much sugar added, making it too sweet for my tastes. I've eliminated the added sugar for my Napolitan Pasta recipe, as the ketchup has plenty of sweetness on its own. What you get is a tasty agrodolce sauce that's a perfect counterbalance for the salty bacon (or sausage).
  • Regardless of how you may feel about using ketchup as a sauce, it’s widely available and comes pre-seasoned, which makes it work for this easy fix. 
  • By transferring the spaghetti directly from the boiling liquid into the sauce, you can add some of the water along with the pasta. This helps thin the sauce out enough, so the sauce's flavor has a chance to soak into the noodles. 
Sweet and tangy Spaghetti Napolitan with bacon, mushrooms and green peppers.

Ingredients for Spaghetti Napolitan

  • Pasta - as the name would imply, the traditional pasta to use for Napolitan pasta is spaghetti. I like using a thicker one (1.9mm), which takes a little longer to boil, but it gives the dish more substance and holds up better to the big chunks of cured meat and peppers. 
  • Cured meat - the most common cured meat used for Japanese spaghetti are little cocktail sausages sliced up, but I also like using thick cut bacon. Pancetta, guanciale, and speck are also delicious in this, and I think almost any cured meat will work. 
  • Veggies & mushrooms - sliced onions and mild green peppers (called Pīman in Japan) are the only veggies that always show up in this dish. Mushrooms are another common addition. Personally, I think it’s okay to throw in pretty much whatever vegetables you like that you have on hand. 
  • Ketchup - although it’s rumored that initial versions of this dish were made with tomato sauce, the use of ketchup as the main component of the sauce is what has turned Spaghetti Napolitan its own unique dish, so I think this is a must. Alternatively, you could make the sauce with tomato puree, tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, spices, and salt. At that point, you're basically making ketchup, and it kind of defeats the whole point of the dish.  
  • Butter - I like adding a pat of butter at the end because it rounds out the sharp acidity of the vinegar in the ketchup. It also adds some of its own umami, especially if you use cultured butter as I did.
  • Soy sauce - the ketchup on its own doesn’t have quite enough salt to season both the pasta and the veggies, so I like to add a splash of soy sauce. This not only seasons the spaghetti, but it also gives the sauce a boost of umami.
  • Spices - I used some freshly cracked black pepper to add a mildly spicy zing to the sauce, but there are many options here, and you can add dried herbs like basil and oregano; or spicier things like chili peppers or hot sauce.

How to Make Spaghetti Napolitan

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt for every 5 cups of water. You want to boil the spaghetti for 1-2 minutes less than what the package directions say so we can finish it off in the sauce. 

Preheat a frying pan over medium heat, and when the pasta has about 6 minutes remaining, add the olive oil, onions, and mushrooms. Saute these until they are just starting to brown around the edges. 

Add the bacon (or whatever cured meat you chose) to the pan and saute the mixture until it's mostly cooked through. We're still going to cook this together with the sauce, so you don't want to overcook it at this point, which can make it tough.

Add the green peppers and give it a few tosses to integrate it. I like my peppers to still be a little crisp and vibrant green, so I don't cook them for very long, but if you prefer them to be tender, you can add these in with the onions and mushrooms at the beginning. 

When the pasta has about a minute left to go, add the ketchup, along with a ladleful of pasta water, and season this with the soy sauce, butter, and black pepper. Give this a vigorous stir to ensure the butter emulsifies with the sauce. 

When the timer for the pasta goes off, add it straight into the pan with the sauce. It's okay if some more pasta liquid goes into the sauce as you want to finish cooking the spaghetti in the sauce. 

Twirl and toss the spaghetti in the sauce until it's cooked to your liking. If the noodles start sticking together before they're done, add more pasta water to thin out the sauce and repeat until they're cooked to your liking.  

Serve your Napolitan Spaghetti with a side of parmesan cheese. 

Savory, sweet, and tangy spaghetti Napolitan is a classic Japanese-style pasta the comes together from just a handful of pantry staples.

More Japanese Pasta Recipes

Spaghetti Napolitan might be the poster child of wafu pasta, but it's just the tip of the noodle when it comes to Japanese-style pasta. From the briny kick of Mentaiko Pasta to the luxurious richness of Uni Pasta, these fusion creations offer a world of flavors. Shrimp and Nori Pasta brings a taste of the sea with a stunning contrast of colors. The simplicity of Butter Soy Sauce Pasta showcases how a few ingredients can create magic. Finally, while not exactly Japanese, Kimchi Pasta adds a spicy Korean twist to the mix if you're craving a bit of heat. The beauty of these dishes lies not just in their unique flavors but in their incredibly easy preparation. Most can be whipped up in 15-20 minutes, making them perfect for busy weeknights when you want to elevate your pasta game without spending hours in the kitchen.

📖 Recipe

The main ingredient may surprise you, but Spaghetti Napolitan is an easy Japanese-style pasta that comes together from just a handful of pantry staples.

Spaghetti Napolitan

By: Marc Matsumoto
4.69 from 16 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 12 minutes mins
Total Time 12 minutes mins
Yield 2 portions
YouTube video

Units

Ingredients 

  • 220 grams spaghetti
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 120 grams thick-cut bacon 5 strips, chopped into ½-inch strips
  • 70 grams button mushrooms 5 mushrooms, sliced
  • 70 grams mild green pepper like Anaheim chilies, sliced into rings
  • 70 grams onion ½ small onion, sliced
  • ⅔ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Boil the spaghetti in a pot of well-salted water (1 tablespoon per 5 cups of water) for 1-2 minutes less than what the package says.
    Boiling spaghetti in salted water for making Napolitan.
  • About 6 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the olive oil onions and mushrooms to a preheated frying pan over medium heat. Saute until the vegetables just start to brown.
    Sauteed onions and mushrooms.
  • Add the bacon and continue sauteing until bacon just starts to render out some fat.
    Bacon mushrooms and onions in a frying pan.
  • Add the green peppers, and when the pasta has about a minute left to go, add the ketchup, along with a ladle of boiling liquid from the pasta.
    Adding ketchup to a pan with green peppers, bacon, mushrooms and onions for making Japanese spaghetti.
  • Add the soy sauce, butter, and black pepper and stir this together to emulsify the butter.
    Spaghetti Napolitan sauce simmering in a frying pan.
  • When the spaghetti is done, add it to the sauce and finish cooking it in the sauce. If the noodles start sticking together, add more of the pasta's boiling liquid to loosen the sauce.
    Transferring boiled spaghetti to a pan with the sauce for making Japanese Napolitan.
  • When the pasta is cooked to your liking, serve the Spaghetti Napolitan with some grated parmesan cheese.
    Finished closeup of Spaghetti Napolitan.
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Nutrition Facts

Calories • 869kcalCarbohydrates • 111gProtein • 25gFat • 35gSaturated Fat • 13gCholesterol • 55mgSodium • 1634mgPotassium • 779mgFiber • 6gSugar • 24gVitamin A • 585IUVitamin C • 11mgCalcium • 44mgIron • 2mg

FAQs

What is Spaghetti Napolitan?

Though the name may imply its from Naples, Spaghetti Napolitan was a dish created in Japan and is most commonly attributed to chef Shigetada Irie of the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama who is said to have been inspired by watching American troops mix ketchup into their spaghetti after the second World War.

How do you pronounce Spaghetti Napolitan?

There's a bit of confusion on the pronunciation of Napolitan because the name is sometimes transliterated back to the Roman alphabet as "Naporitan." The issue is that the Japanese language does not have distinct "l" and "r" sounds. Instead, the closest equivalent is somewhere in between the two. This is why the Japanese have trouble differentiating "grass" and "glass," while English speakers have trouble pronouncing "ramen." 

su like soup
pa like pond
ge like get
ti like team 

na like knob
po like pole
ri the “ri” sound does not exist in the English language and is like if you tried to pronounce "ream" with the tip of your tongue at the front of your mouth. 
tan like tarp plus on

Can I use a different pasta for Napolitan?

Yes. You'd need to change the name, but this method works with any style of pasta.

Comments

    4.69 from 16 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. John F Tackkett says

    March 15, 2025 at 8:47 am

    5 stars
    I made this with a bit of trepidation. I'm not usually a fan of ketchup, but I have to say it was excellent. My son loved it, too.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      March 15, 2025 at 10:57 am

      I'm happy to hear you and your son enjoyed this! This is definitely less sweet than most versions of this here in Japan (recipes usually add additional sugar).

      Reply
  2. uniq says

    December 04, 2024 at 10:00 pm

    I always wonder how it taste when I saw japanese culinary videos on youtube. They always eat it with steak and large portion of rice. thank you for the recipes, will bookmark it and try it someday.

    btw I always curious with the offal miso stew that some japanese restaurant make and eat it in the morning, is there any chance you will make the recipe too in the future?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      December 05, 2024 at 11:06 am

      Hi Uniq, thanks for the note. This is a major comfort food for Japanese people because it's something that reminds them of their childhood. As for Motsuni (offal miso stew) I'm not sure it will make it on here but it's exactly the kind of recipe I post to my other website: https://marcsrecipes.com so I've added it to the list of ideas for that site.

      Reply
  3. Jennie says

    July 30, 2024 at 1:53 am

    5 stars
    Best recipe I've found so far. Didn't have bacon so used 1/2 Chinese sausage 1/2 Vienna sausage.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      July 30, 2024 at 2:55 pm

      Thanks Jennie, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed this! Most Napolitan recipes call for extra sugar (on top of the sugar in the ketchup) which tends to make it too sweet.

      Reply
  4. Philip says

    November 26, 2023 at 4:48 pm

    5 stars
    I tried this dish at Spaghetti Pancho in Tokyo and totally fell in love. Can't wait to try your take on it. I give 5 Stars in advance because your recipes never disappointed.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      November 26, 2023 at 8:18 pm

      Thanks Philip! Hope you enjoy it. It's probably not quite as sweet as what tends to get served here, but if you find it's lacking in sweetness you can add some honey or sugar.

      Reply
      • Philip says

        November 26, 2023 at 9:36 pm

        I just tried it at the chain Spaghetti Pancho and it wasn't as sweet as i expected so yours might be on point. We will know soon.

        Reply
  5. Lil says

    March 19, 2023 at 12:25 am

    Can I replace the green pepper with broccoli? My daughter doesn’t like peppers.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      March 20, 2023 at 1:08 am

      Hi Lil, it won't have the same flavor, but since it sounds like you don't want the flavor of peppers, broccoli will still give you the green color.

      Reply
      • Lil says

        March 21, 2023 at 11:05 am

        5 stars
        Thank you for your response. I did end up using green pepper and cooked broccoli on the side for my daughter. The spaghetti was tasty and my daughter said, “hmmmmm”. Thanks for the recipe!

        Reply
        • Marc Matsumoto says

          March 21, 2023 at 8:26 pm

          I'm happy to hear your daughter enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!

          Reply
  6. Rachel says

    February 20, 2021 at 8:47 am

    5 stars
    soooooo good!!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 20, 2021 at 10:44 pm

      Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  7. Natty says

    November 05, 2020 at 7:23 am

    This was so good. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      November 05, 2020 at 10:22 am

      Hi Natty, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!

      Reply
  8. Lim says

    October 20, 2020 at 6:56 pm

    5 stars
    Best looking napolitan spaghetti brings back a lot nostalgic memory .

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      October 27, 2020 at 3:12 pm

      Thanks Lim!

      Reply
  9. Kathy says

    October 20, 2020 at 9:26 am

    5 stars
    WOW!!! It's insane that this tastes so good! I just made this for my daughter who doesn't eat vegetables, and even without those ingredients, it tastes incredible. Now I have to make the full recipe for us vegetable lovers. Love how the starches in the noodles thicken the sauce; it's so silky and glossy. Thank you for the detailed description of this dish; it really helped me understand how to compensate for the missing vegetables.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      October 27, 2020 at 3:13 pm

      Hi Kathy, I thought I'd responded to this for some reason but it looks like I hadn't. I'm glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this. It's a flexible dish that can be made a bunch of ways, so I'm glad you were able to use the techniques and adapt it in a way that works for your family!

      Reply
Marc Matsumoto

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