Filipino Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of spaghetti noodles
• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 4 pieces of hotdogs, sliced
• 1 cup of banana ketchup
• 18 ounces of spaghetti sauce (or two 250 gram packets)
• 2-3 cups of tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
• 1 medium-sized onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of worcestshire sauce
• 4 cups of water
• 3-4 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of seasoned salt
• 4-8 ounces of cheddar cheese, grated
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of water for cornstarch mixture (optional)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the spaghetti pasta according to package instructions.
2. Drain water from the pasta then transfer it to a large bowl.
3. Add the butter or olive oil to the bowl then toss the pasta to prevent it from sticking.
4. Heat a large pan over medium heat.
5. Add the ground beef, worstershire sauce and season salt to the pan.
6. Brown the ground beef and use a spatula to break it up as it cooks.
7. When the ground beef is cooked, strain it over an empty bowl to separate the excess oil from the meat.
8. Set aside the ground beef and discard the excess oil.
9. Add a little olive oil to a large pot or wok, then heat the pot over medium heat.
10. When the oil is hot, saute the garlic followed by the onion.
11. Add the hotdogs to the pot and continue to saute.
12. Cook for up to 5 minutes, but be careful not to burn the garlic.
13. Now add the ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, and water to the pot.
14. Bring this to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low.
15. Simmer while stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
16. Add some grated cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
17. Stir until the cheese has melted then remove the sauce from the heat.
18. Using a large spoon or ladel, scoop and pour the meat sauce over a bed of pasta.
19. Sprinkle this with leftover grated cheese.
20. Serve with fresh toasted bread.

You can substitute the pasta saue with 3 cups of tomato sauce, if needed. If the sauce is not thick enough, you may make the water and cornstarch mixture. Add more or less sugar according to your taste.