Canadian National Dishes

Québec Poutine Italienne with Beef and Tomato Sauce

Golden oven fries are topped with fresh cheese curds and a thick, savoury beef-and-tomato sauce. This Québec poutine variation swaps the usual brown gravy for spaghetti-style meat sauce. The four generous portions take about an hour from start to finish, with the sauce simmering while the fries roast.

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Québec poutine italienne in a white bowl: golden fries topped with fresh cheese curds and thick tomato sauce with browned ground beef, shown in a wide tabletop frame, bowl at right with open neutral space at left.
Crisp fries, fresh cheese curds and thick beef-tomato sauce make this Québec poutine italienne.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 65 minutes
Calories About 770 kcal per serving
Ingredients ↓
Overview

Québec Poutine Italienne with Beef and Tomato Sauce

Poutine italienne is a Québec variation that keeps the familiar fries-and-cheese-curd base but replaces the usual brown poutine gravy with tomato-based spaghetti or meat sauce. Québec recipes range from quick assemblies with prepared sauce to fuller homemade meat sauces. This version uses a simple beef-and-tomato sauce and crisp oven fries; it makes no claim to a single origin or universal formula.

The sauce should be thick enough to cling to the fries rather than pool like soup. Fresh curds go over the hot fries first, then the hot sauce softens them slightly. Assemble only when ready to eat so the fries keep some crispness beneath the generous topping.

Practical

Practical

  • Cut the potatoes to an even thickness so they finish at the same time.
  • Give the fries room on the pan; crowding traps steam and softens them.
  • Simmer the tomato sauce until it coats a spoon before assembling the poutine.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Oven fries

  • 1000 g russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 cm fries
  • 30 ml canola oil
  • 4 g fine salt

Beef and tomato sauce

  • 400 g 90%-lean ground beef
  • 150 g yellow onion, finely diced
  • 100 g carrot, finely diced
  • 60 g celery, finely diced
  • 10 g garlic, minced
  • 30 g tomato paste
  • 800 g no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
  • 150 ml low-sodium beef stock
  • 3 g dried Italian herb blend
  • 2 g fine salt
  • 1 g ground black pepper

Assembly

  • 250 g fresh Québec-style cheese curds, refrigerated until use
Directions

Directions

Method

  1. Heat the oven and prepareHeat the oven to 220°C. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm fries. Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery; mince the garlic. Keep the cheese curds refrigerated until assembly.

  2. Roast the friesToss the potatoes with the canola oil and 4 g fine salt. Spread in one layer with space between pieces on a large lined baking sheet. Roast for 40–45 minutes, turning once after about 20 minutes, until golden and crisp at the edges.

  3. Brown the beefWhile the fries roast, cook the ground beef in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Break it into small pieces and stir until browned throughout. Check several pieces with a digital thermometer; the beef must reach 71°C. Drain excess fat if needed, leaving a light coating in the pan.

  4. Soften the vegetablesAdd the onion, carrot and celery to the beef. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute, until fragrant and slightly darkened.

  5. Simmer the sauceAdd the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, Italian herbs, 2 g salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered over low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to coat the fries. Keep hot.

  6. Assemble and serveDivide the hot fries among four warmed bowls or plates. Scatter over the refrigerated cheese curds, spoon the hot meat sauce generously over the top and serve immediately, while the fries retain some crispness and the curds soften slightly.

Practical

Practical

Serving

The meat sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, then reheated thoroughly before serving. Keep the fries and curds separate until assembly. If the sauce becomes too thick, loosen it with a splash of hot beef stock; if it is thin, simmer it a little longer. For a milder shortcut, a prepared meat pasta sauce can replace the homemade sauce, but check its label for allergens and sodium; nutrition here is calculated for the listed homemade ingredients.

Make-ahead

Refrigerate leftover sauce and curds separately in shallow containers within 2 hours. Use the conservative 2–3-day window for leftovers and reheat the sauce to 74°C. Store fries separately and re-crisp them in a hot oven. Assemble only the portions being served right away.

Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Serving sizeOne-quarter recipe, with fries, beef-tomato sauce and curds
  • CaloriesAbout 770 kcal
  • CarbohydrateAbout 62 g
  • ProteinAbout 44 g
  • FatAbout 38 g
  • FibreAbout 10 g
  • SodiumAbout 1,100 mg

Rounded estimate using generic USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy composition values. Cheddar is used as a proxy for fresh cheese curds; stock and tomato products are modeled as low-sodium/no-salt-added. Brands vary, so values are approximate, not a laboratory analysis or product-label claim.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

This recipe contains milk in the cheese curds. Check stock, cheese and packaged tomato product labels for additional allergens and cross-contact statements. Keep raw ground beef refrigerated and separate from ready-to-eat foods; wash hands, utensils and surfaces after handling. Cook ground beef to at least 71°C, checking with a digital thermometer; colour alone is not a dependable safety check. Refrigerate leftover sauce and curds separately in shallow containers within 2 hours, use within 2–3 days, and reheat the sauce to 74°C.

Closing notes

Closing notes

  • The result: A Québec poutine variation with crisp fries, fresh curds and a thick tomato meat sauce.
  • The decisive technique: Keep the sauce thick and add it only when serving.