Quick Greek Bolognese
A hearty, aromatic, and complex sauce in thirty minutes flat.
Quick Greek Bolognese is a speedy but hearty sauce that may outshine its Italian counterpart. An aromatic base of onions, carrots, and herbs flagrantly seasons a hefty amount of ground pork. Simmered with wine, tomato puree, and bay leaves yields an elixir-like sauce that’s bound to become a staple recipe.
When one thinks of bolognese, the mind immediately goes to Italy, but Italy doesn’t own the full rights to this dish. Greece also has its version of a hearty meat sauce Makaronia Me Kima. The slow-cooked version goes into the fast lane with this Quick Greek Bolognese. It has a similar cast of tomatoes, meat, and herbs, but has a few variations with an array of warm spices and a splash (or several) of red wine that come together in twenty to thirty minutes.
The base of this sauce is an aromatic duo of onions and carrots. Once the onions get translucent, add in the garlic, stirring until fragrant.
Next, the meat gets added to the party. The recipe calls for pork, but you can also use ground beef or lamb, just make sure to get a lean variety. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the ground pork.
After the meat is broken up, add in the herbs. Oregano, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves are the ingredients that differentiate this bolognese from Italian versions. These warming spices are common in Greek meat sauces, especially if lamb is used, as the spices tone down the gaminess of the meat. Here, the spices only accentuate the rich heartiness of the ground pork, making a robust and hardy base.
Add in your wine, or for an alcohol-free version, use beef stock to deglaze the pot. This adds complex flavors to the sauce and helps you scrape up any bits of meat or vegetables that get stuck on the bottom of the pot.
The tomato puree and bay leaves are the final additions to the sauce before you simmer it away for twenty to thirty minutes. You’ll know the sauce is done when it has thickened in consistency and the carrots are completely soft.
Toss some of the sauce with the pasta before serving it in bowls and topping it with additional sauce.
This Quick Greek Bolognese has the depth and complexity of a sauce that’s cooked for hours. Finely dicing the vegetables and using ground meat cuts down on the simmering time.
The spices and tomatoes develop great and fully developed flavors within the short simmering time. This sauce is the perfect base for the Greek dish pastichio and is a great sauce to make as a standby freezer meal.
It can be paired with any sort of pasta, this Quick Greek Bolognese is just that versatile!
Quick Greek Bolognese
Allergens: Gluten
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 lbs ground pork (or lean ground beef)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup red wine (or beef broth)
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 pound spaghetti or fettuccine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Fresh basil or parsley, roughly chopped (for garnish)
Preparation
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and carrots, cooking until the onions are translucent and the carrots are slightly softened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add in garlic, cooking until fragrant.
- Add in ground beef, breaking up the ground beef with a spatula until completely.
- Cook the beef until no pink remains, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, stirring to combine.
- Add wine, stirring to combine.
- Once the wine is completely cooked off add in tomato sauce and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, stirring throughout the entire process.
- Continue to simmer until the carrots are softened and the sauce has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta in heavily salted water until al dente. Strain the pasta.
- Once the sauce is cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a separate pan toss the pasta with some of the sauce. Divide the pasta among different bowls, topping each portion with a bit more pasta sauce.
- Garish is chopped parsley, serve, and enjoy!