Spaghetti Napolitan (Printable Version)

Sweet-ketchup spaghetti tossed with sausage, peppers and mushrooms — quick stovetop comfort in 30 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 6.3 oz dried spaghetti

→ Meat & Protein

02 - 2 chicken sausages (or pork or plant-based sausage), sliced into rounds

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 small onion, thinly sliced
04 - 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
05 - 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
06 - 4 white mushrooms, sliced

→ Sauce

07 - 4 tablespoons tomato ketchup
08 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
09 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
11 - 1 teaspoon olive oil
12 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

13 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
14 - Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water for the sauce.
02 - While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to foam.
03 - Add the sliced sausage to the skillet and sauté until lightly browned on both sides. Toss in the onion, green and red bell peppers, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes.
04 - Stir in the tomato ketchup, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly to coat all the ingredients and let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes to meld the flavors.
05 - Add the drained spaghetti and the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Toss vigorously using tongs or a pasta fork until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
06 - Transfer to serving plates immediately while hot. Finish with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The ketchup based sauce is a revelation, sweet and savory in a way that makes you question why you ever doubted it.
  • It comes together in under thirty minutes with ingredients you probably already have hiding in your fridge.
  • Kids and picky eaters adore it because the flavors are gentle and approachable without being boring.
02 -
  • Do not skip reserving the pasta water because that starchy liquid is what binds the sauce to the noodles without making it watery.
  • Cook the ketchup sauce for the full two minutes so the raw acidic edge mellows into something richer and more complex.
  • Have everything chopped and ready before you start because once the cooking begins it moves fast.
03 -
  • Use a large skillet rather than a small one so the pasta has room to toss and coat evenly instead of clumping into a tangled mess.
  • A tiny pat of butter stirred in right at the end gives the finished dish a glossy restaurant quality sheen that makes it irresistible.

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