Baked Turkey & Bacon Rigatoni

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring pot of water to a boil with generous pinch of salt. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside, reserving some of cooking liquid

2. To make meatballs, combine ground turkey, egg, parmesan, parsley, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Roll into balls and place on parchment paper. In large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, fry meatballs until browned on all sides; do not worry about cooking them all the way through. Remove meatballs to paper towel lined plate and set aside.

3. In same pan, lower heat to medium and cook chopped bacon in remaining oil, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and parsley and simmer until thickened, 10-20 minutes. Remove tomato sauce from heat.

4. In large bowl, combine cooked pasta, tomato sauce, meatballs, mozzarella cheese, ricotta and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste; if necessary, add some reserved pasta liquid to keep mixture moist.

5. Transfer pasta mixture to large baking dish and sprinkle extra parmesan all over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until top turns golden, and cheese has melted.