Saltsa kima is a Greek minced beef sauce cooked with olive oil, onion, garlic, red wine, tomato, bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. This Athenian version simmers uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes until thick, glossy, and ready for pasta, pastitsio, or moussaka.

How do I keep kima from tasting boiled?

Brown the minced beef for 12 to 15 minutes until its liquid boils away and the meat catches lightly on the bottom of the pot. This step gives Greek kima sauce its backbone. Adding tomato before proper browning makes the beef taste boiled instead of deep and savory.

How thick should saltsa kima be for pastitsio or moussaka?

For pastitsio or moussaka, saltsa kima should be thick, glossy, and reduced until olive oil gathers in small red pools on the surface. Keep the sauce thicker than pasta sauce because wet kima makes baked layers slump and prevents clean slices.

Can I make saltsa kima ahead of time?

Yes. Make saltsa kima up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it covered. For pastitsio or moussaka, prepare the kima the day before because cold sauce spreads more neatly through baked layers. Rewarm gently before serving with pasta.

Can I freeze Greek minced meat sauce?

Freeze Greek minced meat sauce in 2-cup portions for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen saltsa kima overnight in the refrigerator, then rewarm it gently. Portioning the sauce this way gives enough for quick pasta meals or staged pastitsio preparation.

What tomatoes work best for saltsa kima?

Use 700 grams of crushed ripe tomatoes or good passata for saltsa kima. If fresh tomatoes are weak, choose canned crushed tomatoes or passata instead. Strong tomato flavor matters because the sauce reduces for 40 to 50 minutes with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and beef.

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Athenian Saltsa Kima (Σάλτσα Κιμά)

Name: Athenian Saltsa Kima (Σάλτσα Κιμά)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 6 cups, enough for 6 servings of pasta or one large pastitsio
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 60ml extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 800g minced beef, 10 to 15 percent fat; 120ml dry red wine; 700g crushed ripe tomatoes or passata; 30g tomato paste; 2 bay leaves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 120ml water, only if needed during simmering

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Athenian saltsa kima is minced beef, tomato, cinnamon, and allspice, cooked slowly until the sauce tightens and the green-gold oil pools at the top.

Sauces & Condiments

Greek

Comfort Food

Make Ahead

Meal Prep

15 min

Active Time

1 hr 10 min cook•1 hr 25 min total

Yield6 cups, enough for 6 servings of pasta or one large pastitsio

Athenian saltsa kima is the minced meat sauce of the urban Sunday table, the one that goes over makaronia, between pastitsio layers, and under moussaka. What makes it Greek is not simply tomato and meat. It is the quiet sweetness of cinnamon and allspice, the bay leaf, and the patience to cook it down until the oil rises red at the edges.

The method that decides it is evaporation. You don't want a loose tomato sauce with meat floating in it. You brown the mince properly, add wine, tomato, and spices, then simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens and the fat separates. That is when the flavor settles into the meat instead of washing around it.

Make it once and you'll understand why Greek homes keep a container of it in the fridge. It is supper in ten minutes with pasta, and the beginning of two great baked dishes. My mother Sofia kept it plain and exact, because a good saltsa kima should be ready for the table today and the tapsi tomorrow. A recipe written down is a recipe saved.

Saltsa kima belongs to the 20th-century urban kitchens of Athens and Thessaloniki, where pasta with minced meat became a regular family meal and the same sauce was used for pastitsio and moussaka. Its cinnamon, allspice, and bay show the older Greek taste for sweet spices carried through Constantinopolitan and Asia-Minor cooking, while tomato became common in Greek household sauces only after the 19th century. The sauce is often compared to Italian ragù, but the spice profile and the way it supports baked Greek dishes make it its own thing.

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Ingredients

extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil

Quantity

60ml

yellow onion

Quantity

1 large

finely chopped

garlic cloves

Quantity

minced

minced beef (kimas)

Quantity

800g

10 to 15 percent fat

dry red wine

Quantity

120ml

crushed ripe tomatoes or passata

Quantity

700g

tomato paste

Quantity

30g

bay leaves

Quantity

cinnamon stick

Quantity

ground allspice

Quantity

1/2 teaspoon

ground cloves

Quantity

1/4 teaspoon

fine sea salt

Quantity

1 teaspoon

plus more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

Quantity

1/2 teaspoon

water (optional)

Quantity

120ml

only if needed during simmering

Ingredient	Quantity
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil	60ml
yellow onionfinely chopped	1 large
garlic clovesminced	2
minced beef (kimas)10 to 15 percent fat	800g
dry red wine	120ml
crushed ripe tomatoes or passata	700g
tomato paste	30g
bay leaves	2
cinnamon stick	1
ground allspice	1/2 teaspoon
ground cloves	1/4 teaspoon
fine sea saltplus more to taste	1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper	1/2 teaspoon
water (optional)only if needed during simmering	120ml

Equipment Needed

•wide heavy pot, 28cm
•wooden spoon
•fine grater or garlic press

Instructions

1
Soften the Onion
Warm the olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of the salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and pale gold, not brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until it smells sweet.
2
Brown the Meat
Add the minced beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring and pressing, until its liquid has boiled away and the meat begins to catch lightly on the bottom. This browning gives the sauce its backbone. If you rush it, the kima tastes boiled.
A wide pot helps the liquid evaporate quickly. A narrow pot stews the meat before it has a chance to color.
3
Add Wine
Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sharp smell of alcohol is gone and the liquid is nearly cooked away.
4
Build the Sauce
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, allspice, cloves, remaining salt, and pepper. Bring the sauce to a low boil, then lower the heat until it murmurs steadily.
5
Cook It Down
Simmer uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick, glossy, and the oil gathers in small red pools at the surface. Add a splash of water only if it threatens to stick before the meat has softened.
6
Finish and Rest
Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Taste for salt, then let the sauce rest off the heat for 10 minutes. For pasta, loosen with a spoonful of pasta water. For pastitsio or moussaka, keep it thick so the layers hold cleanly.

Chef Tips

•Use beef with a little fat. Very lean mince turns dry before the sauce has had time to deepen. Λίγα και καλά: good meat, good oil, decent tomato.
•If fresh tomatoes are weak, use good passata or canned crushed tomatoes. The right method on a sad tomato still gives a sad sauce.
•For pastitsio, cook the sauce thicker than you would for pasta. A wet kima makes the baked layers slump, and then the square won't stand.

Advance Preparation

•Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it covered.
•Freeze in 2-cup portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and rewarm gently.
•For pastitsio or moussaka, make the kima the day before. Cold sauce spreads more neatly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)

Calories

400 calories

Total Fat

26 g

Saturated Fat

8 g

Trans Fat

1 g

Unsaturated Fat

17 g

Cholesterol

90 mg

Sodium

540 mg

Total Carbohydrates

13 g

Dietary Fiber

3 g

Sugars

7 g

Protein

28 g

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Athenian Saltsa Kima (Σάλτσα Κιμά)

The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.