Featured Comment:
“Really great recipe, the cinnamon and nutmeg adds depth to the meaty flavour. ❤️”
– StellaR
What Is Spaghetti Meat Sauce?
Japanese spaghetti meat sauce is a pasta dish with ground beef and finely cut vegetables cooked in a sweet and herby tomato sauce. Undoubtedly, the ingredients and flavors were inspired by Italian spaghetti bolognese.
It’s a popular “yoshoku” dish (Western-inspired Japanese dish) that’s been well-loved for many years and is even a common item on Japanese school lunch menus.
But in true Japanese style, the taste has been adjusted to suit the Japanese pallet. So, what makes Japanese spaghetti meat sauce different?
How I Developed This Recipe
In Japan, spaghetti meat sauce is usually seen as a kids’ dish, but when I created this recipe, I wanted to make a version that would be enjoyable for all ages, not just children.
The key is its subtle flavor. It’s not too strong, so it’s great for a family lunch or a light dinner.
I hope you’ll give it a try for a meal that brings everyone together!
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Japanese-style Spaghetti Meat Sauce at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Start by washing the celery and peeling the carrot, onion and garlic cloves. For the best flavour and texture, the onion, carrot and celery should be diced small. I also finely mince the garlic with a knife, but you can use a garlic crusher if you prefer.
Dicing the vegetables small speeds up cooking time and improves the overall texture of the dish.
Take a large frying pan and heat it over a medium heat. Once hot, add the butter and let it melt.
When the butter has fully melted, add the diced vegetables and garlic. Fry them together until softened, and the onion is translucent.
Once the onions are translucent and slightly golden, push the vegetables to the edges and make a space in the middle. Add the ground beef and fry until browned.
Once the beef is browned, add the red wine, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper, and mix well.
When the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the mixture, add the canned tomatoes, sugar, oregano, and bay leaf.
Mix well and lower the heat to a simmer.
Allow the sauce to simmer until reduced to your desired thickness. Japanese spaghetti meat sauce is quite thick, so I usually let it simmer until it’s reduced by about half.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat and add the salt. The water should be properly boiling before you add the spaghetti. Once added, cook for the amount of time stated on the packaging. (1-2 minutes less for el dente – slightly firm.)
It’s important that the pasta has enough space to move around, so be sure you use a large pot and plenty of water. Adding enough salt to the water is equally important to prevent bland spaghetti. For an easy-to-remember rule, I try to follow 1000ml (1 liter) of water and 1 tsp of salt for every 100g of pasta.
Once your meat sauce has simmered down, add a small sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon. Be careful not to add too much, just a pinch of each.
Mix well and turn off the heat.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and divide the spaghetti onto serving plates. Carefully spoon the meat sauce on top, divide equally between portions.
Top with a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese and decorate with parsley!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsFAQ
The origin of spaghetti meat sauce can be traced back to the Bologna region of Italy. The first spaghetti meat sauce in Japan, believed to have been made in the 19th century, was heavily inspired by Italian Bolognese.
However, the popular spaghetti meat sauce in Japan today is not based on Italian Bolognese but rather on the Bolognese that came to the United States and was transformed into the American style.
The reason is that the ketchup-flavored meat sauce, similar to today’s spaghetti meat sauce, was introduced to Japan by the U.S. occupation forces. Influenced by this introduction, Kewpie released canned meat sauce in 1959. This canned product was a hit and is said to have laid the groundwork for the popularization of spaghetti meat sauce in households in Japan.
Japanese spaghetti meat sauce and Italian Bolognese taste completely different. So, what exactly is the difference?
1. Spaghetti meat sauce is a lot sweeter – spaghetti meat sauce is a lot sweeter than bolognese. It is commonly made with tomato ketchup and sugar, and because of that, spaghetti meat sauce is a favourite amongst children.
2. It uses a lot of tomatoes – As far as I know, spaghetti meat sauce contains more tomatoes (specifically tinned tomatoes) and the sauce tends to be less meaty than bolognese sauce as well. So more tomatoes, less meat.
3. Spaghetti meat sauce always uses spaghetti – True bolognese in Bologne uses tagliatelle pasta. But spaghetti meat sauce is always made with regular spaghetti.
4. Usually not mixed with sauce – Spaghetti meat sauce is actually not mixed together when served. This means that the spaghetti is served with the meat sauce on top of it, not mixed.
I hope you enjoy this Japanese Spaghetti Meat Sauce recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Pasta Recipes
Japanese Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 100 g yellow onion finely diced
- 30 g carrot diced small
- 25 g celery finely diced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 400 g canned tomato diced or crushed
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 150 g ground meat beef or beef/pork mixture
- 1 tbsp red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 240 g dry spaghetti
- 2500 ml water
- 2 ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg powder
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated parmesan cheese optional
- 1 tsp fresh parsley optional, to garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan on medium and once hot, add 1 tbsp unsalted butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add 100 g yellow onion, 25 g celery, 30 g carrot and 1 clove garlic to the pan and fry until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Next, push the vegetables to the edges and add 150 g ground meat to middle of the pan. Fry until browned and mix everything together.
- Once the meat has browned, add 1 tbsp red wine, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 1 pinch ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Add 400 g canned tomato along with 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp oregano and 1 bay leaf. Mix well.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half.
- While it's simmering, bring 2500 ml water to a boil and add 2 ½ tsp salt. Once the water is boiling, add 240 g dry spaghetti and cook for the time stated on the packaging. (Reduce by 1-2 minutes for el dente.)
- Once the meat sauce has reached your desired thickness, remove the bay leaf and add 1 pinch nutmeg powder and 1 pinch cinnamon. Mix well.
- Drain the spaghetti and divide onto serving plates. Pour an equal amount of meat sauce on top of each portion of spaghetti. Sprinkle with 1 tsp grated parmesan cheese and 1 tsp fresh parsley (optional).
- Enjoy!
Really great recipe, the cinnamon and nutmeg adds depth to the meaty flavour. ❤️
Hi Stella,
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed the recipe!