Saltsa Kima (Greek Meat Sauce)
Submitted by jendi
Saltsa Kima, the classic Greek meat sauce with ground beef, cinnamon, bay leaf, red wine, and tomatoes. Perfect over pastitsio, pasta, or moussaka.
YIELD
4 cupsPREP
10 minCOOK
50 minREADY
1 hrsSaltsa Kima is the Greek answer to Italian bolognese, a ground beef and tomato sauce where cinnamon, bay leaf, and red wine do the flavor lifting. It’s the foundational sauce behind Greek classics like pastitsio (the Greek lasagna), moussaka, and spaghetti Greek-style, all of which fall apart without it.
The cinnamon stick is what makes this sauce unmistakably Greek. A whole stick simmers with the sauce for 30 minutes, releasing its warm, subtle spice without turning the dish into dessert territory. The technique of cooking onion in water first and only adding butter once it’s softened is a clever Mediterranean trick (the water helps soften the onion without browning it, so the butter flavor stays clean rather than caramelized). Reducing uncovered at the end is crucial. A watery Saltsa Kima makes for soggy moussaka.
Chef Tips
- Use a whole cinnamon stick, not ground cinnamon. Ground releases too fast and turns the sauce bitter.
- Choose 80/20 ground beef, not lean. The extra fat carries flavor and keeps the sauce from tasting dry.
- Taste before adding sugar. Ripe summer tomatoes often don’t need it; out-of-season tomatoes definitely do.
- Make it a day ahead. The flavors deepen overnight, which is why Greek grandmothers always seem to have a container in the fridge.
Variations
- Swap half the beef for ground lamb for a more traditional, richer version.
- Add a pinch of allspice or clove to the simmer for extra warm spice.
- Use over cooked spaghetti topped with grated mizithra or kefalotyri cheese for classic makaronia me kima.
Ingredients
Directions
In a heavy saucepan cook the onion in a little water over medium heat until softened, then add the fat and cook the onion until translucent.
Combine the ground beef with the onion, mashing with a fork and stirring until the raw color disappears.
Add the garlic and wine, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, the tomato paste, sugar, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste, then simmer, covered, for 30 minutes longer.
Add the parsley and basil during the last 10 to 15 minutes.
Cook uncovered for the last few minutes, to allow excess liquid to evaporate; the sauce should be thick.
Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.
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