Spaghetti Napolitan

Updated June 11, 2025

Spaghetti Napolitan
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(119)
Comments
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Spaghetti Napolitan should be thought of as a yaki (“fried”) noodle dish more than an Italian-style pasta. This smart, effortlessly delicious version comes from ketchup lover Chiaki Ohara of Davelle, a Japanese café on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Frying the ketchupy noodles and vegetables over high heat, in a generous amount of oil, results in a deeply satisfying sauce, so don’t be afraid of a little fire (or oil, for that matter). This is Japan’s yoshoku (“Western-style”) interpretation of Italian tomato spaghetti, a dish that’s hard to get right, but Ms. Ohara’s Napolitan ratios are quietly precise and genius. If you can relish it, the soft fried egg on top adds so much. —Eric Kim

Featured in: The Spaghetti 'Pretty Much Every Kid Loves'

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • Salt
  • 8ounces spaghetti
  • ¼cup ketchup
  • 1tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1teaspoon sugar
  • Olive oil
  • 2slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1small carrot, sliced
  • ½yellow or white onion, sliced
  • ¼green bell pepper, sliced
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2large eggs
  • Radish sprouts or chopped parsley, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

362 calories; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 551 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions and drain.

  2. Step 2

    While the pasta cooks, in a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and set aside. Heat a large skillet over high and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Add the bacon, garlic, carrot, onion and bell pepper and spread evenly. Cook, stirring once, until fragrant and starting to brown at the edges, about 1 minute. Cover with a lid and cook on low until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the drained pasta and ketchup mixture, then turn the heat to high. Toss to combine, adding small splashes of water to loosen the pasta if needed, and stir-fry until the sauce darkens a shade and starts to stick to the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and 10 turns of black pepper. Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve.

  4. Step 4

    Separately, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom, then crack in the eggs. When the whites start to set, add 2 tablespoons water around the eggs and cover with the lid you’ve been using for the pasta. Cook until the yolks are still jiggly but covered over with white, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt.

  5. Step 5

    Divide the spaghetti between two plates, then top each with a fried egg and garnish with the radish sprouts.

Ratings

4 out of 5
119 user ratings
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Comments

When I was in the Navy, stationed in Japan, back in 1968, fried spaghetti was served by Japanese cooks in the Base snackbar. Everything, like hamburgers or hotdogs was cooked on the grill. The fried spaghetti replaced French fries. While your burger was cooking, a handful of pre-cooked and oiled pasta was tossed on the grill, given a few squirts of ketchup, and few flips with a spatula. All things considered, it probably began as a cross-cultural dish based on opportunity and supplies on hand.

when i worked at a japanese company in japan in the late 80’s, this was served in the company cafeteria…at room temperature as was every dish …i thought it one of the most disgusting dishes i’d ever eaten.

Simple and delicious. The picky 9 year old and even more picky grandparents all loved it. I upped the veggie level quiet a bit with carrots, cherry tomatoes and peas. The sauce was so easy and so satisfying. On permanent rotation in our house.

Excellent dish— a very authentic Japanese version spaghetti. Its taste reminded me the old days of Japan when I grew up. Thank you!!

Some guidance on the sliced vegetables would be welcome. How thick? I did them fairly thin and they turned into a soupy mess.

6/20/25, Wow, excellent sauce A keeper (with my own tweaks). - Added a few splashes of Tabasco - Used angel hair spaghetti (egg noodles would also be nice) - Skipped the eggs altogether.

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Credits

Recipe from Chiaki Ohara

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