Spaghetti Napolitan
Japan's kissaten classic: spaghetti stir-fried with ketchup, peppers, and ham. Don't knock it.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 200 g Spaghetti
- 5 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 Bell pepper
- ½ Onion
- 20 g Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
- 100 g Ham (optional)
- 20 g Hard cheese (optional)
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it well.
- Slice the onion, bell pepper, and the ham into thin strips.
- Boil the spaghetti until a minute past al dente — softness is authentic here; reserve a mug of pasta water before draining.
- Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onion, pepper, and ham until the edges take color, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ketchup to the skillet and fry it a shade darker, about 1 minute.
- Toss the drained spaghetti into the skillet with a splash of pasta water until glossy and evenly red.
- Plate the napolitan with grated cheese over the top.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Spaghetti Napolitan
Spaghetti Napolitan, or naporitan, is a beloved icon of Japanese comfort food despite its Italian-sounding name, developed in postwar Yokohama and popularised through the country's kissaten, the old-fashioned coffee shops. It has almost nothing to do with Naples; instead it is spaghetti stir-fried with ketchup, ham, onion, and green pepper, a dish that turned scarce postwar ingredients into something nostalgic and enduring. Part of its charm is that it is unapologetically not Italian, and Japanese cooks embrace it on its own retro terms.
Authenticity here means softness, so the spaghetti is deliberately boiled past al dente until yielding, the way a kissaten would serve it. Frying the ketchup for a minute before the noodles go in deepens and darkens it, taming the raw sweetness into something savoury and caramelised, while butter carries richness through the pan. The finished plate is glossy, tomatoey, and gently sweet, dotted with strips of ham and peppers and often dusted with hard cheese. It is homey rather than refined, the kind of easy, cheering dish served at a diner counter, and it takes well to a shower of parmesan or a shake of Tabasco at the table.
Spaghetti Napolitan: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Spaghetti Napolitan?
One serving of Spaghetti Napolitan has about 514 calories, with 14g of protein, 91g of carbs, 10g of fat and 5g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Spaghetti Napolitan gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Spaghetti. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Spaghetti Napolitan dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Spaghetti Napolitan take to make?
About 25 minutes start to finish, but only around 13 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Spaghetti Napolitan?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out ham, hard cheese — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Spaghetti Napolitan make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.