Our Greek spaghetti with meat sauce – makaronia me kima, is comforting and delicious. Slowly cooked with red wine, lots of aromatics, and good tomatoes, all flavors develop and shine.
This post is an updated version previously published in March 2021. New photos and clearer recipe instructions now accompany the post
If you love this Greek Spaghetti With Meat Sauce – Makaronia me Kima, you will also love Pastitsio-Greek Beef Pasta Bake, Moussaka-Greek Eggplant Potato Casserole or Eggplant Lasagna With Béchamel!
Why this recipe sings
- Few meals are as satisfying as good pasta with meat sauce. This is an authentic makaronia me kima recipe (Greek spaghetti with meat sauce).
- Combining the hearty meat sauce with the tender spaghetti is a classic and comforting pairing. However, feel free to use your favorite pasta shape.
- Using herbs and spices, such as dried oregano, cinnamon and nutmeg, adds depth of flavor to the dish.
- Makaronia me kima is a crowd-pleasing economical meal perfect for a family dinner or entertaining guests.
Here is what you need
- Ground meat. My favorite is grass-fed organic ground beef. I simmer the veggies for a while and start browning the ground beef, and instead of milk that classic Italian bolognese has, I add a glass of red wine.
- Seasonings and herbs. My beloved Greek oregano, bay leaf, cloves, nutmeg, a cinnamon stick, and fresh thyme when available.
- Red wine. I always use a wine that I would enjoy drinking. There are many reasonably priced cabernets or chiantis that are perfectly good for both drinking and cooking.
- Good-quality canned tomatoes. Being Greek, born and raised, I am spoiled with the amazing tomatoes available in Greece. Since I can’t find the same in Hoboken, I always get San Marzano tomatoes D.O.P. for excellent flavor. If you can’t find Italian tomatoes, don’t despair! Use what is available. Because supermarket-canned tomatoes can be acidic, I add a little sugar to the sauce; a teaspoon should be enough to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes and transform it.
- Spaghetti. Or your favorite pasta. This sauce is great with short-cut pasta as well as linguini and pappardelle.
How to make Greek spaghetti meat sauce
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat. Break the meat with a wooden spoon to avoid large chunks. Brown the ground meat all over.
Add the diced onion and garlic—season with a pinch of salt. Stir and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add 2 tbsp of tomato paste, season with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a generous pinch of dry oregano. Add the bay leaf, cloves, and nutmeg.
Keep sautéing while stirring for 2-3 min and let flavors develop.
Add the wine. Increase heat to high to let the alcohol evaporate for 1-2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes. Fill one of the tomato cans with water or chicken broth and add it to the sauce. Lower heat and simmer meat sauce for 2 hours, occasionally breaking down the tomatoes and stirring. When the sauce is ready, adjust sea salt and pepper to taste.
Tips and tricks
- My favorite way to enjoy this sauce is tossed with thin spaghetti.
- Occasionally, I will use fat macaroni pasta, usually used for the traditional pastitsio dish, the famous baked pasta casserole.
- Pappardelle and fettuccine would be excellent to capture the delicious sauce.
- For cheese choices, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is always an excellent option.
- In Greece, kefalotyri cheese is the most commonly grated over spaghetti. Its flavor resembles pecorino romano. Dry mizithra, a cheese similar to ricotta salata, is also common over pasta, especially in Crete.
- You can use equal parts of ground beef and pork, just ground pork, or mix ground beef with ground hot Italian sausage. If you like ground lamb, you are welcome to use it. A nice variation is to saute some pancetta pieces or bacon with the onions for a zesty flavor to the sauce.
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Check out my Greek pantry staples
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Greek Spaghetti With Meat Sauce – Makaronia me Kima
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3-4 cloves
- 1½ cup red wine
- 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes like Gustarosso.
- 1 cup chicken broth optional, you can use water instead
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 16 oz spaghetti or pappardelle, linguine, or your favorite pasta
Instructions
- Add 2–3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.Add the ground meat. Brown meat all over while breaking up any chunks with a wooden spoon.
- Add the diced onion and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir and add two tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir again and season with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, a teaspoon of nutmeg, and one tablespoon of dried oregano. Add the bay leaf, the cinnamon stick, and three to four cloves. Keep sautéing for two to three minutes and let flavors develop.
- Add the red wine. Increase heat to high and let the alcohol evaporate for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes. Fill one of the tomato cans with water or chicken broth and add it to the sauce. Break up the tomatoes with your spoon. Lower heat and simmer the sauce for 2 hours, occasionally stirring and breaking up the tomatoes.
- Adjust sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve over your favorite pasta with plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Notes
- You can substitute 1 lb ground beef with 1 lb ground pork or 1 lb ground sausage. If you like some heat, use hot Italian ground sausage.
- When good tomatoes are abundant in the summer, use 32 oz of grated fresh tomatoes.
- If you are not using authentic San Marzano, use Cento canned tomatoes or similar. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the canned tomatoes to cut the acidity and bring out their sweetness.
Nutrition
