Greek spaghetti with meat sauce

“Makaronia me Kima” (Greek spaghetti with meat sauce) is one of my favorite comfort foods. This incredibly popular recipe is the Greek version of spaghetti Bolognese, a rich ground beef and tomato sauce served over pasta.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 lb (450g) ground beef ((beef mince))
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 onion (, peeled and quartered)
• 14 oz (400g) canned tomatoes ( (I used San Marzano))
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar (, more if needed)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 3 allspice berries
• 3 whole cloves (or generous pinch ground cloves)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) white wine
• 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock (from a cube is fine)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• cooked spaghetti (or any type of pasta)
• Grated parmesan
• flat leaf parsley
• salt and pepper

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Heat the butter in a Dutch Oven over medium heat until it starts foaming. Once the butter starts turning brown, add the garlic and onions, cut side down.
2. 2Add the canned tomatoes (be careful as they are likely to spatter and sizzle when they hit the hot pan).
3. 3Break them up with the back of a spoon and stir in the salt, sugar, pepper and bay leaves. Place the cinnamon stick, allspice berries and cloves in a disposable filter bag and add to the pot.
4. 4Pour the wine into the sauce and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot tightly and cook for 20-25 minutes.
5. 5Discard the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and allspice berries. Blitz the sauce with an immersion blender until mostly smooth.
6. 6Stir in the ground beef and break it up with your spoon. Add the olive oil and stock, bring the sauce back to a simmer, partially cover the pot and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. 7Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Serve over spaghetti with grated Parmesan or Kefalotyri cheese.