Some (*ahem* probably Italians) will say this is sacrilegious but since I'm not shackled and bound by tradition or culture (both not my culture), I'll say it from a third party's POV - Ketchup Pasta is pretty darn good. It's got that sort of homey, kiddy flavour that takes you back to your childhood, straight to simpler times where you're glued to the TV after school. I first had ketchup pasta right before the 2020 lockdown, in a konbini in Okinawa where it came sealed in a microwavable bowl and topped with a grating of packaged cheese dust. And my god, it was love at first bite. I'm not too sure if it's some sort of rose-tinted memory or the effects of the lockdown, but no other konbini napolitan pasta I've had since even comes close to that very first bite! What's a girl gotta do? Make her own, of course...

A few things to note here. Rendering the bacon fat allows the smokey drippings to coat each strand of pasta, making your dish way more tasty. You don't have to be fancy - even though you could, don't let me stop you, just sayin' that if you're making ketchup pasta, it's perfectly fine not to splurge on a wedge of aged parmigiano-reggiano - that pre-grated cheese sitting in the refrigerated section works perfectly fine for me.

Ingredients

• 1/2 an onion, sliced

• 1 rasher of bacon, cut into large squares

• 1 sausage link, sliced diagonally

• 1/4 bell pepper, sliced

• 100g dried spaghetti

• 150g ketchup

• 1 to 2 teaspoons light soy, to taste

• grated cheese (parm, pecorino, store-bought dust, all would work)

• 10g unsalted butter

• black pepper, to serve

• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil

• salt for the pasta cooking water

Directions

• Cook up your pasta according to the package instructions, halting the cooking process about 70% through (i.e. if it takes 10 minutes, cook It for 7 minutes). Drain your pasta and set aside, reserving a couple tablespoons of the pasta cooking liquid.

• Heat up a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add 1 Tablespoons of EVOO. Add your bacon squares to allow the fat to render. We're not looking for crispy bacon, we just want some of the fat to render out at this point.

• Add In your sliced onions and let it soften together with the bacon, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in your sausage and bell pepper. Turn up the heat and let it go on for about another 2 minutes, until the ingredients taken on a nice golden colour - but aren't burnt!

• Add your ketchup and light soy into the pan, turning the heat down to low and stirring constantly. We want to caramelise the ketchup lightly at this point. When it's reduced and thickened slightly, add in your pasta.

• Toss and combine well, adding a trickle of pasta cooking liquid as needed. Continue to stir-fry and cook the pasta this way, merging sauce and spaghetti. When pasta is cooked to your liking, add the unsalted butter, some freshly grated black pepper along with grated cheese of your choice. Serve.