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Hilopites à la sauce tomate

Name: Hilopites à la sauce tomate
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: GR
Ingredients: 400 g dried hilopites (egg-and-milk pasta squares); 60 ml olive oil, plus more to serve; 1 medium onion, grated or very finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes; 1 bay leaf; 1 pinch sugar; 700 ml water or light vegetable stock, divided, plus more if needed; to taste salt; to taste freshly ground black pepper; 80 g kefalotyri or other hard salty cheese, grated, to serve; a few leaves fresh basil or parsley, to serve (optional)

10m

Prépa

40m

Cuisson

Portions

Facile

Difficulté

Petits carrés de pâtes aux œufs et au lait, mijotés dans une sauce tomate à l'ail et couverts de fromage râpé.

#greek#pasta#tomato-sauce#comfort-food#cheese#side-dish

Portions

4portions

Ingrédients

Nutrition

calories560

protein18g

carbs72g

fat18g

fiber4g

Par portion

Étapes

Soften the onion

Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over low-medium heat. Add the grated onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until it turns soft and sweet-smelling but does not brown. Grating the onion lets it melt into the sauce instead of leaving chunky pieces.

60 ml olive oil
1 medium onion

✅ C'est prêt quand : the onion is translucent, soft and smells sweet, not golden or crisp

⏱7:00

Bloom the garlic and paste

Add the garlic and tomato paste to the pot and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes, just until the paste darkens slightly and smells rich. This short toasting step deepens the tomato flavour; do not let the garlic turn brown or it will taste bitter.

3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste

✅ C'est prêt quand : the tomato paste has darkened a shade and smells toasty, garlic is fragrant but pale

⏱1:30

Build the sauce

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Cook pasta in sauce

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Rest off the heat

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Serve

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Soften the onion

60 ml olive oil
1 medium onion

✅ C'est prêt quand : the onion is translucent, soft and smells sweet, not golden or crisp

⏱7:00

Bloom the garlic and paste

3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste

✅ C'est prêt quand : the tomato paste has darkened a shade and smells toasty, garlic is fragrant but pale

⏱1:30

Build the sauce

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Cook pasta in sauce

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Rest off the heat

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Serve

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History & Culture

The Story Behind the Dish

📍 Thessaly and Epirus, Greece📅 Village tradition, pre-industrial Greece🍝 GR

Long before packaged pasta reached Greek village kitchens, women rolled dough made from flour, eggs and milk, cut it into small squares, and spread it on cloths to dry in the sun. These homemade hilopites were stored for the winter months and cooked in broths, with butter and cheese, or simmered in a simple tomato sauce whenever a quick, filling meal was needed.

The tomato version became a staple side dish across the Greek mainland, especially once canned and bottled tomatoes made a good sauce possible all year round. It is still the kind of dish grandmothers make without measuring, judging the sauce by eye.

⭐ Why It's Famous

It turns a handful of pantry staples into something deeply comforting: the thick, chewy pasta soaks up a bright, garlicky tomato sauce, and a generous dusting of hard cheese ties it all together.

💡 Fun Fact

The name hilopites likely comes from the way the dough was once worked and cut, and village cooks took pride in rolling it thin enough to dry quickly yet thick enough to stay chewy once boiled.

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