The dish every Greek household treasures! Greek Spaghetti Bolognese (Makaronia Me Kima) is very similar to the Italian Bolognese sauce. But with warm spices like allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg that add warmth and depth to this favorite comfort food.
The Bolognese sauce we're making here is thick, the kind that clings to the pasta; it's hearty and deeply seasoned.
Table Of Contents
Makaronia me Kima (which translates to Spaghetti with Ground Meat) is a truly comforting dish. It's a staple in most Greek homes. And the Kima (the ground meat sauce or Bolognese) is also used in making Greek Pastitsio and Moussaka.
Type Of Ground Meat To Use
This Greek-style Bolognese sauce blends ground beef and ground pork for a rich, layered flavor. You can always make it just with beef, but a mixture with pork really adds a lot of flavor.
Think of Classic Italian Bolognese, where some chopped bacon or pancetta is added to flavor the ground beef. It's the fat that deepens the flavor and makes it more juicy and hearty.
The Spices
The magic happens with the spices! Greek Bolognese sauce is infused with warm spices (cloves, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg). They go hand in hand together and make this ground meat sauce cozy, aromatic, and truly irresistible!
In Greece, we typically use whole spices in the sauce. However, you can use them ground as stated in the recipe below, so you don't have to fish them like we do. It's a real deal breaker when you accidentally bite into a piece of clove; my brother is forever complaining about it. Until I switched to ground spices.
I recommend purchasing your spices from a herb store or a spice market so they're strong, fresh, and aromatic.
How Long To Cook
Bolognese is ready in about 45-50 minutes. This means 10 minutes of sautéing the onions and browning the meat, followed by 30 minutes of simmering, and, if necessary, a couple of minutes on high heat to thicken the sauce.
Tips
- Brown the meat well for a deep flavor.
- Use a skillet pan. It will brown the meat better and help thicken the sauce more quickly.
- Use a good quality sweet red wine. I'm using Greek Mavrodaphne wine, sweet and very flavorful. If you prefer to skip the wine, use 2-3 tablespoons of cognac or brandy, or 40ml of grape molasses (for an alcohol-free version).
- Crushed tomatoes give the sauce a nice, thick texture. Alternatively, you can pulse whole canned tomatoes in a food processor to use in the sauce. Diced tomatoes won't do here, I'm afraid.
Best Type Of Pasta To Serve With
Bolognese sauce is always best served over Spaghetti. It holds the sauce so well and feels as tender as the meat (not too al dente). The next best option is Linguine if you prefer a pasta with more bite to it.
Which Cheese To Use
The best cheese to serve with Makaronia me Kima is either Greek Kefalotyri cheese, Kefalograviera, Pecorino, or Parmesan. All of which are ripened hard cheeses with a strong, salty flavor. If you prefer a lighter cheese (lower in fat and calories), try Grated Myzithra cheese.
Recipe
Greek Spaghetti Bolognese (Makaronia Me Kima)
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 large onion minced (about 200 grams)
- 500 grams (1.1 pounds) ground beef or half ground beef & half ground pork
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 60 ml sweet red wine
- 500 grams (2 cups + 2 tablespoons) crushed tomatoes
- 2 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice or 5-6 allspice berries
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or 4-5 whole cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 small stick of cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 small sprigs fresh thyme
- coarse sea salt
- ground pepper
- 500 ml (2 cups) hot water or stock
- 500 grams dried spaghetti cooked according to package instructions
- Greek Kefalotyri, or Parmesan, or Pecorino cheese to serve with
Instructions
- Heat a good splash of olive oil in a saute pan.
- Add the onion with a pinch of salt, and saute over moderate heat until almost caramelized.
- Add the ground meat. Raise the heat to high. Season with coarse sea salt and ground pepper. Cook the meat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
- Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan.
- Add the crushed tomatoes (see notes below), bay leaf, thyme, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon stick.
- Pour in the hot water or stock.
- Simmer over low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes.
- Raise the heat a bit, taste the sauce to see if it needs additional seasoning. Cook it uncovered until it thickens.
- Serve with spaghetti or your favorite pasta accompanied by Greek Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese.
Like most Greeks, I have my own version of Kima and I've tried others. This is definitely the best Kima recipe I've ever tasted!
When did you change the recipe on this page? I really liked the previous version
Hi, it's not much different, just an improved version of it. You should give it a try 😊
Would you please let me know what a 'piece' of allspice and cloves equates to? Many thanks
Hi Rachel, I mean an allspice berry.
Hi - Looking forward to making this. Me quick question about adding the carrot and celery. Are they chopped before they’re added? Thanks.
You can add them either finely chopped or as a stick and remove later!