Beef Ragu Tagliatelle with Bella Blend

Sunday sauce, weeknight attitude. A traditional ragu runs on two meats — beef for depth, pork for sweetness and silk — and Bella Blend carries the whole herb garden over both: oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, no shelf of jars required. Brown hard, simmer low, and let time do the heavy lifting: two hours later the sauce is glossy, rich, and clinging to every ribbon of tagliatelle. (All beef works too — see the note in the ingredients.) Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 3/4 lb ground pork — the traditional partner; feel free to substitute all beef (1.75 lb total) if you prefer
• 1.5 tbsp SpiceX Bella Blend seasoning
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional — swap for stock)
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb tagliatelle (fresh if you can get it)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more to serve

Directions

1. Brown: heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high and brown the beef and pork together hard, breaking them up and seasoning with 1 tbsp Bella Blend. Don't stir constantly — the crusty bits are flavor. Remove and set aside.
2. Soffritto: in the same pot, sweat the onion, carrot, and celery for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, until the paste darkens to brick red.
3. Simmer: deglaze with the wine, scraping the bottom, then return the meat with the crushed tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, and the remaining Bella Blend. Drop to a bare simmer, lid cracked, for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally — it's done when the fat sits glossy on top and the sauce has thickened to a spoon-coating nap.
4. Pasta: cook the tagliatelle in aggressively salted water to just shy of al dente, reserving a cup of pasta water.
5. Marry: pull the bay leaf, then toss the pasta into the ragu with the butter, parmesan, and a splash of pasta water, swirling over low heat until the sauce hugs every ribbon. Plate and bury it in more parmesan.

Chef's note: Finish the pasta IN the sauce, never sauce-on-top — that last minute of tossing with butter, parmesan, and starchy water is what makes it look like the photo. And if the ragu ever boils hard, drop the heat: a ragu simmers like it's barely awake.

Nutrition per serving (serves 6): 570 calories · 33g protein · 52g carbs · 25g fat. Macros estimated.