This recipe for Greek-Style Meat Sauce {Makaronia Me Kima} is a 30-minute dish full of authentic flavors – fresh mint, cinnamon & allspice.
Makaronia Me Kima
In Greece, this dish is called Makaronia Me Kima, which simply translates as spaghetti with meat sauce. I didn’t use spaghetti, but this recipe uses all the authentic flavors you’d expect in Greek food.
What Meat For Greek-Style Meat Sauce {Makaronia Me Kima}
Growing up, we had a close family friend from Greece who made this all the time. She used ground lamb, but most recipes call for beef which is what this recipe calls for. I prefer lamb, If you haven’t tried it – give it a try! The flavors are delicious!
This quick and easy recipe is a delicious homemade pasta sauce made with simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry and your fridge.
Why this recipe works:
- The traditional Greek ingredients of fresh mint, cinnamon, and allspice give this dish a flavorful richness.
- It’s a simple recipe that’s quick to prepare, making it perfect for busy weeknight meals.
- Using fresh ingredients, rather than jarred sauce makes this recipe a much healthier option.
How to make Greek-Style Meat Sauce {Makaronia Me Kima}
Start with cooking the onion until soft, add the garlic, followed by the cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, and dried oregano. Cook to release the flavors.
Add the meat.
Fry until fully cooked and no pink shows at all in the meat (about 8 minutes). Add the tomato paste and stir into the meat.
Fry another minute and stir in the wine and allow to cook down.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, parsley, and fresh mint.
Stir together, season with salt and pepper.
Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Serve over pasta and enjoy!
Other Pasta Dishes You’ll Love
Cook’s Tips:
- This recipe calls for ground beef, but authentic recipes would call for lamb. You could easily use ground pork or turkey too.
- The longer you simmer, the deeper the flavor, so if you have the time, cook the sauce longer and add a little water if it gets too thick.
- For a more authentic combination, instead of serving with Parmesan cheese, try using Greek Mizithra cheese.
- For a low-fat option, try dry frying the meat and adding cooking spray when adding the onions and garlic.
- Different regions of Greece use varied ingredients. Other options are adding cayenne pepper, ground cloves, bay leaves or topped with mozzarella cheese.
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Let's Make Greek Style Meat Sauce {Makaronia Me Kima}
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion chopped or sliced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine or red wine
- 28 oz can crushed or pureed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 4 leaves fresh mint chopped
- fresh parsley (a good handful) chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ lb pasta
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, add the garlic, followed by the cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, and dried oregano. Cook to release the flavors.
- Fry until fully cooked and no pink shows at all in the meat (about 8 minutes). Add the tomato paste and stir into the meat.
- Stir in the wine and allow to cook down.
- Add the tomatoes, sugar, parsley, and fresh mint. Stir together, season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and serve topped with the sauce.
Tips + Notes
- This recipe calls for ground beef, but authentic recipes would call for lamb. You could easily use ground pork or turkey too.
- The longer you simmer, the deeper the flavor, so if you have the time, cook the sauce longer and add a little water if it gets too thick.
- For a more authentic combination, instead of serving with Parmesan cheese, try using Greek Mizithra cheese.
- For a low-fat option, try dry frying the meat and adding cooking spray when adding the onions and garlic.
- Different regions of Greece use varied ingredients. Other options are adding cayenne pepper, ground cloves, bay leaves or topped with mozzarella cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This post was originally published on Apr 17, 2017, but was republished with a slight change in recipe, step by step instruction photos, a new video, and tips in February of 2019.
amy kenny says
i love this recipe so much
Erren Hart says
Hi Kenny,
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re so happy you love it and we hope you’ll continue to enjoy it for years to come. 🙂
Thank you for being a part of the Erren’s Kitchen community,
Cathy says
This is a wonderful recipe. Reminds me of my childhood… my mom always used cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Mint was a nice touch :))
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you so much, I’m glad you liked it 🙂
David Hubbard says
Ok, I have been trying for over a year to replicate this recipe from a Greek restaurant in Chicago that has since closed called the Parthenon. Your recipe comes darn close! I have bookmarked this and will be trying other recipes from your site as this recipe was awesome! I think the red onion, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and the white wine are what sets this recipe apart from all of the other Greek spaghetti recipes I have tried in the last year. Thank you for your website!!!!
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you David, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Also, thank you for your awesome feedback!
John says
Warren’s recipe here looks terrific and we will try it. David, you mentioned the Parthenon in Chicago. I loved that restaurant also. I don’t recall having this dish, but do you also remember they had a Beef Kapama? Beef stew meat in a tomato sauce served over a rice pilaf. I’ve been trying to find a recipe like that and would appreciate any input you have.
David Hubbard says
I never had the Beef Kapama so unfortunately I can’t help you on that. If anyone can figure it out, it would be Erren!
Erren Hart says
Thank you David for commenting on this because somehow it slipped past me. I had an assistant that would answer comments with positive reviews, but questions and any negative feedback were supposed to be left for me to address. I’m going to reply to John now!
Erren Hart says
Hi John, I’m so sorry your comment slipped by me for so long! Luckily, David brought it to my attention! When I lived in England my husband and I used to go to this little greek place run by a greek family. The head cook was the mother. She was a little old lady from Greece who didn’t even speak English. It was like going to family dinners at their house. It was the owners of the restaurant that taught me how to make this dish. When we came in, they would sit us at the family table in the back (that was usually covered in the bookkeeping records and menu plans). They would just clear the table and have us sit there where they would join us whenever they had a free minute. I did have Beef Kapama at their restaurant and although I don’t have a recipe, I think it would be quite similar to this sauce (maybe with a little beef stock mixed in). The flavor profiles are similar in a lot of greek cooking. I’ll plan to create a recipe for Beef Kapama in the fall, but until then, this is what I would do… Brown about 2 lbs of stew meat in a dutch oven, remove it from the pan then make the sauce for this recipe, mix in about two cups of beef stock, add the meat back to the pot and simmer on low heat, for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens (stirring occasionally). Let me know how it goes if you try it!