"Tasting Table asked Chef Billy Parisi if adding cocoa to spaghetti sauce for a bolder flavor is a good idea. "I'm a bit of a traditionalist, so I would not do that," he says. "My Italian grandmother may have smacked me if I would add it to my spaghetti sauce, but my Italian Aunt Pan would for sure try it.""
""However, just like when finishing a Texas Chili with a bit of chocolate, it absolutely can create more complexity in the sauce and deepen the flavors of the beef and tomatoes, making it richer," he says. "The texture could slightly thicken, but not change. You may also get a slightly darker colored sauce.""
Some cooks add cocoa powder to spaghetti sauce to create more complexity and deepen beef and tomato flavors, making the sauce richer and slightly darker. The cocoa can slightly thicken the sauce without changing its fundamental texture. Opinions vary among those with Sicilian roots, with some considering the addition nontraditional and others embracing it as a secret ingredient. Cocoa works similarly to chocolate in chili by enhancing Maillard-driven flavors when beef is well-seared. Other surprising ingredients and techniques, such as ensuring a good Maillard sear on beef, can further elevate spaghetti sauce flavor.
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