Makaronia me kima- Greek spaghetti & meat sauce. Classic Greek mama food. How I loved coming home from school & seeing this on the stove top! Comfort food at its finest!
It may look like a bolognese sauce, however it is certainly a different dish.
It’s really a simple recipe made with a lot of love. The meat sauce is traditionally cinnamon infused. My mother makes hers without cinnamon as it upsets her stomach. However I go the traditional route because I love the warmth that this spice gives to the sauce.
I also add a small amount of clove. Clove can be very overpowering, so definitely do not overdo it. It’s not meant to stand out in meat sauce.
She used diced tomatoes and I prefer tomato sauce. Both are correct and it’s all up to you.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup white or red wine (whichever one you have is fine)
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cinnamon (add more if you like)
a pinch ground cloves
2 tbsp of dry parsley
1 tbsp dry oregano a drizzle of olive oil
Package of spaghetti or your favorite pasta, cooked as directed, al dente.
Directions:
Start with drizzling a large pot with extra virgin olive oil and brown the ground beef.
Finley chop the onion & garlic. I actually pulverize them in the food processor which also releases the onion juices which adds a ton of flavor. Add to the pot and continue to cook on medium. Add in the wine and allow the meat to basically absorb the wine while it also loosens up any bits at the bottom of the pot.
Add the tomato sauce or diced tomatoes and the bay leaf with the cinnamon stick. Let it simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add in the cinnamon and clove & continue to cook. Taste it to see if you need more salt or pepper. I add the dry herbs at the end and continue to cook it for 10 more minutes.
Total cook time on low should be around an hour to hour and a half . You want the sauce to thicken and water to evaporate.
Cook your pasta as directed. We serve it with your favorite grated cheese. Sometimes it was grated mizithra, pecorino or parmigiana. I have even topped it with feta!
Kali Oreksi!
on xenia street 