“Makaronia me Kima” (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.

Whenever I go back to Greece, my mum makes makaronia me kima (Greek spaghetti with meat sauce) and we devour it in minutes. It’s a dish I grew up on, comforting and full of layers.

This version is my modern take: simple pantry ingredients, aromatic spices that don’t overwhelm, and just enough richness to make everyone ask for seconds. Whether you’re serving it over spaghetti, rolling it into lasagna, or layering it in baked pastitsio, this sauce is a keeper.

Here’s What You’ll Need

I have switched up my mum’s recipe a little bit but it tastes just as delicious! Here’s what you will need:

Unsalted butter and virgin olive oil
Onion and garlic
Canned plum tomatoes such San Marzano are my go-to, but fresh grated or chopped tomatoes work too.
Spices and seasoning: sea salt, pepper, sugar, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, allspice berries and cloves
White wine plus vegetable stock (bouillon powder or a stock cube)
Ground beef (beef mince) mix with ground lamb or pork for more richness
Grated cheese such as Parmesan or a Greek Kefalotyri, and chopped parsley to serve

How to Make Greek Meat Sauce

Make the Tomato Sauce Base

Heat 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.

Add the canned tomatoes (be careful as they are likely to spatter when they hit the hot pan). Break 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 ground cloves in a tea filter bag for easy disposal later and add to the sauce.

Pour 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.
Discard the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, clove sand allspice berries. Use an immersion blender to process the sauce until smooth.

Add the Ground Beef

Stir in the ground beef and break it up with your spoon.

Add in the olive oil and the vegetable stock, bring the sauce back to a simmer, partially cover the pot and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Serving Suggestions and Storage

Spoon over spaghetti and add plenty of grated cheese such as Parmesan or Kefalotyri. Pair with my Greek Bread (Horiatiko Psomi) or Dough Balls With Garlic Butter and red wine. You can also use this meat sauce in lasagna, moussaka or pastitsio or as a filling for phyllo meat pies.

Stored cooled leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days or portion into suitable containers or freezer-safe bags and consume within three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove, adding a little water if needed to loosen the sauce

Recipe Notes and Tips

You can use my San Marzano Tomato Sauce or this roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce as the base for this meat sauce.
This ground beef sauce recipe is suitable for freezing. I usually make a big batch, divide it into portion sizes and freeze it so that we always have a kid-friendly meal on stand by.
If you don’t want to blend the sauce then you can use finely grated onion and crushed tomatoes.
If the sauce is a little watery, continue to cook it for a bit longer until it has reduced.