Makaronia me Kima (Greek Pasta with Meat Sauce)
The classic Greek weeknight pasta — ground meat cooked with cinnamon, allspice, and tomato until thick and fragrant, served over spaghetti with a heavy hand of grated mizithra or kefalotyri cheese. The cinnamon is the point.
Ingredients
For the Kima (Meat Sauce)
- 1 lb ground beef or half beef, half lamb; 450g
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 clove garlic minced
- 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup dry red wine optional; 60ml
For the Pasta
- 12 oz thick spaghetti or bucatini 340g
- salted water for boiling
For Serving
- 4 oz mizithra, kefalotyri, or Pecorino Romano finely grated; 115g
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the ground meat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the meat is fully browned and all the liquid has evaporated, about 10-12 minutes. The meat should be sizzling and beginning to caramelize, not steaming in liquid.
- If using wine, add it now and let it bubble and evaporate for 1-2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, allspice, and bay leaves and stir to coat the meat in the spices. The cinnamon aroma should bloom immediately.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the meat is no longer sitting in liquid. The kima is ready when a wooden spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a clean line that fills in slowly. Season well with salt and black pepper. Remove the bay leaves.
- While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
- Drain the pasta and plate immediately. Spoon a generous amount of kima over the pasta, grate the cheese heavily over the top, and serve. Each person mixes their own at the table.
Notes
On the cinnamon: Use a full teaspoon of ground cinnamon for one pound of meat. It should be present in the finished dish. The cinnamon is the reason this is makaronia me kima and not a generic pasta sauce. On the cheese: Mizithra is a hard, dried, salted Greek sheeps milk cheese traditionally grated over pasta in Greece. Kefalotyri is similar. If neither is available, Pecorino Romano is the closest substitute. Make-ahead: The kima sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and freezes for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 620kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Sodium: 680mg