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Spaghetti Neapolitan (ナポリタンスパゲティ) is a Western-style Japanese pasta dish. The spaghetti is first boiled, then pan-fried with ham or sausage, onions, and bell peppers, and seasoned with tomato ketchup. While it was influenced by European pasta dishes, it was created in Japan as an original recipe and is not a traditional Japanese dish. Despite its similar name, it is different from the Italian Spaghetti alla Napoletana.

What’s Spaghetti Neapolitan?

After World War II, Japan was under American control for several years. During this time, a Japanese chef noticed that occupying soldiers were eating plain spaghetti mixed only with ketchup and found it too bland. It is said that the chef sought to improve the dish by adding ingredients such as meat and vegetables, which became the origin of Spaghetti Neapolitan.
The name “Neapolitan” most likely comes from the French dish Spaghetti à la Napolitaine, a spaghetti dish with tomato sauce, as French cuisine had a stronger influence on Japanese Western-style dishes at the time.
Unlike traditional pasta with tomato sauce, Spaghetti Neapolitan is flavored with ketchup sauce. It became especially popular in Japan during the 1970s and 1980s, a period when Japanese tastes were shifting toward heavier Western-style food. It was a staple at old-fashioned cafés (kissaten, 喫茶店) and remains a beloved menu item at many of Western-style restaurants today. It is also an easy dish to make at home with common pantry ingredients, making it a staple of Japanese home cooking.
To achieve its signature chewy texture, the spaghetti is partially cooked, then cooled and left to rest for 5–6 hours before being briefly blanched in hot water in commercial kitchens. This method also allows restaurants to prepare the dish in advance for quick service. While we don’t use this technique in our recipe, it can be done at home if preferred. Using ketchup instead of costly, labor-intensive fresh tomatoes is also a practical innovation unique to local Western-style diners in Japan.

For the finishing touches, powdered “Parmesan-style” cheese, parsley, and Tabasco sauce are must-have condiments for this dish.

Substitutions and Tips

The vegetables commonly used in Spaghetti Neapolitan are green peppers and onions, but there are no strict rules for home cooking. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand—mushrooms and leafy greens like spinach work well too.

Japanese sausages, which are usually smoked, are traditionally used in the recipe, but ham or other meats can be substituted. While sausages and ham add instant flavor, ground meat or other cuts of meat can also be used to suit your taste.
If you prefer a slightly sweeter flavor, you can add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar to the ketchup. This will give the dish a taste similar to the sweet, restaurant-style Spaghetti Neapolitan.
Spaghetti Neapolitan is a tasty main dish for lunch or dinner, but it’s also a hearty side dish for other western-style meat dishes like Hamburger Steak and Tonkatsu. It can be used as a small dish to fill gap spaces in bento boxes too.

What to serve with Spaghetti Neapolitan

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Video

A full recipe video is also available in the recipe box below and on our YouTube channel.

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