Filipino food does tend to be on the heavier side, but in an attempt to lighten this dish, you can omit the sugar, or use a sugar substitute, but the banana ketchup is necessary to sweeten the sauce. You can also use ground turkey instead of ground beef, for less fat.

1. Use a large pot. Using plenty of water helps to prevent pasta from sticking together by quickly washing away the exuded starch. For each pound of pasta, you'll need about 4-6 quarts of water. Using a small pot would mean lesser water which will cause the pasta to stick together. You may have heard that you can avoid sticky pasta by adding oil to the pasta water. This can prevent sticking, but pasta that's cooked in oily water will become oily itself and, as a result, the sauce slides off, doesn't get absorbed, and you have flavorless pasta. Adding oil may keep the pasta water from bubbling up and boiling over the rim, but this can also be achieved by making sure you use a large pot. This is a much better solution than greasing your pasta and sacrificing flavor.

2. Salting the water makes pasta taste better by bringing out the natural flavor of the pasta. Add plenty of salt, about 2 tablespoons of kosher (coarse) salt per pound of pasta. This may seem like a lot, but it is necessary for getting the pasta properly seasoned. Plus, most of the salt drains off with the water and won't increase the sodium level of your recipes. But do not add your salt until the water has come to a full boil. Unsalted water has a lower boiling point than salted water, so it will come to a boil a few seconds faster. Salt also dissolves faster in hot water. Undissolved salt crystals in cold water can leave small white spots on the surface of your stainless-steel pots.

3. To keep pasta from sticking, stir during the first minute or two of cooking. This is the crucial time when the pasta surface is coated with sticky, glue-like starch. If you don't stir, pieces of pasta that are touching one another literally cook together. Frequent stirring while the pasta is cooking will also help prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook the pasta uncovered.

4. Don't rely too much on the pasta package to give you the correct cooking time. Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Most pastas cook in 8-12 minutes. Test pasta for doneness after about 5 minutes of cooking. Bite into a piece of the pasta. Pasta should be tender but still firm when you eat it. It's what the Italians call "al dente." Watch the cooking process of the pasta carefully. Pasta can overcook very quickly. Pasta will continue to cook and soften even after it has been taken from the water.

5. Drain immediately into a large colander standing in the sink, and then pick up the colander with its contents and shake it well to remove excess water. Don't rinse it unless you're going to use it in a cold dish. Rinsing the pasta after cooking can cool the pasta and prevent absorption of the sauce. It will wash away any remaining surface starch which can slightly thicken your sauce and can also help the sauce stick to the pasta. If you're going to toss the pasta with the sauce immediately, sticking shouldn't be a problem.