Olive & Mango’s Makaronia Me Kima (Greek Meat Sauce)

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 60 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

This Greek-style meat sauce and spaghetti is my all-time favorite kind of comfort food. I’m up for it any day of the week and truly never tire of it. In fact, when there is any doubt or question about what’s for dinner, this is the meal I always make — it’s the one my mom always made, too, and likely something many other Greek households can relate to. It’s perfect for a quick midweek meal, but even better if you can simmer it for a couple of hours, which makes it the perfect Sunday sauce as well!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup tomato paste, heaping
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) red wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed or finely minced tomatoes
1 cup (250 milliliters) beef or chicken broth, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or 2 cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 ounces dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Grated myzithra, Kefalogaviera, or Kefalotyri cheese or Parmesan cheese or Pecorino
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until softened and starting to turn golden around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and cook another minute until caramelized. Pour in the red wine and deglaze, cooking until it has reduced.
Stir in the tomatoes, broth, chili flakes, oregano, sugar if using, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium or medium-low heat, and simmer with the lid on for about 30 to 45 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated. Stir occasionally and make sure there is enough liquid for sauce to simmer, adding more broth as needed.
Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Heat olive oil or butter in the same pot you boiled the pasta. Return cooked pasta to the pot and toss well with the butter or oil to coat.
Ladle meat sauce over pasta and enjoy hot with extra chili flakes and grated cheese.