This might be offensive to Italians or those who love a classic straight-from-Italy recipe, but this recipe for Spaghetti Napolitan is one of those retro recipes that can’t be ignored or forgotten. Made with ketchup (yes, ketchup, but don’t leave this page!), this wartime invention created a dish that’d be loved for decades in East Asia’s island nation of Japan.

Rewind to the late 1940s, and the metropolitan city of Tokyo and its neighboring city of Yokohama looked like flattened cities in disrepair. Air bombings during World War II left most of the eastern major metropolitan cities in the aftermath of rubble, with very few buildings standing afterward. When General Douglas MacArthur came to Japan for military meetings, the Grand Hotel of Yokohama was one of the few hotels not destroyed by the bombings. Upon the arrival of the general, the kitchen got to work, making cuisine that would appeal to these Western guests. Quickly summarized, this proved to be more of a challenge than initially thought.

While the lead chef Shigetada Irei was culinarily trained in French and Italian techniques from a Swiss hotel chef, the feeble amount of ingredients limited what the chef could and could not make. With limited fresh produce, Chef Irei went about with what he could, using canned tomatoes and dried pasta to recreate an American military ration that was seen among Japanese citizens in the city — pasta with red sauce. The pasta was well received, and the dish’s success leaked out beyond the hotel and into the everyday diets of citizens living in the region. In similar fashion to other yoshoku (or Western-style food) foods, the canned tomatoes got swapped out for more readily available ingredients people could buy at the store. In the 1950s Japan canned tomatoes weren’t a thing, so like with many yoshoku foods, the pasta dish was made with ketchup. It’s a pasta sauce that has stuck around since the end of World War II and is one of those things that is loved by children and nostalgically enjoyed by adults as well.

What is a part of Spaghetti Napotlian?

The vegetables are sautéed until they get a nice sear. Next, the ketchup and soy sauce are added to the pan. Next, the ketchup and soy sauce are added and then stirred continuously until it starts to emulsify.

Add the pasta to the pan and stir to toss everything. If the pasta and sauce mixture are looking a bit too thick, then add a bit of the reserved salted pasta water to the pan.

Served immediately, this pasta dish is something you wish you had as a child! The sauce is smooth and mild, with a bit of sweetness and a bit of savory saltiness.

The vegetables are there, but not in your face, allowing you to focus on the fully coated and sauced spaghetti that’s just waiting to be twirled.