Pasta Naporitan (Japanese Ketchup and Sausage)

Naporitan (aka Ketchup Pasta) is a Japanese dish made with a combination of overcooked spaghetti, ketchup, onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms, and sausage, ham, or bacon. The ingredients are sautéed and then tossed with the pasta and ketchup. The dish was created shortly after WWII by Shigetada Irie, the head chef at the New Grand Hotel in Yokohama. He was inspired by a similar dish of spaghetti and tomato sauce that the US soldiers were eating overseas, and it was named naporitan after Naples, Italy. This particular style of Japanese pasta is considered "yoshoku" cuisine, or western cuisine with unique Japanese influences. Another term for Japanese style pasta is as "wafu pasta".

Pasta:
7 oz dried spaghetti noodles
2 Tbsp. kosher salt

Naporitan Sauce:
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper (thinly sliced)
½ small onion (thinly sliced)
¼ lb sausage (or ham; sliced)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tsp. butter

Garnish:
fresh chopped parsley
hot sauce

In a large pot over high heat, combine about 8 cups of water and ½ Tbsp. of salt. Bring to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente, about 7 minutes. (The pasta will be cooked once more with the sauce.)

Drain the noodles well and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Stir-fry the onion, bell pepper, and sausage until softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet and toss gently with the vegetables and sausage. Add ketchup and stir-fry the spaghetti, coating all of the ingredients.

Mix butter in with the pasta, add salt and pepper, if necessary, to taste. Remove from heat.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with hot sauce if you like.