Nona's Italian Pasta Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ricotta cheese
• 1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 lb vermicelli, cooked al dente
• 1/4 lb provolone cheese, sliced
• 1 cup shredded romano cheese or parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb mushroom, chopped into pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 lb pancetta (italian bacon) or Canadian bacon
• 1/2 lb ground sirloin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt, pepper, and oregano (to personal taste)

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. 2

   Cut pacetta or Canadian bacon into pieces.

3. 3

   Break pasta in half and boil it until it's still a little hard.

4. 4

   Drain pasta and set aside.

5. 5

   In a skillet heat the olive oil.

6. 6

   Sauté celery, mushrooms, and onion until tender.

7. 7

   Add meat and spices and cook until meat is brown; set aside.

8. 8

   Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl.

9. 9

   Add to meat mixture and blend well.

10. 10

    Pour into a baking dish and cook until cheese is melted and pasta is thoroughly cooked (about 30 minutes).

11. 11

    Note: You may want to boil some extra pasta to serve with this because the dish by itself is very rich. The mushroom pieces should be sized to the cooks personal taste. I prefer bigger pieces while my mother likes smaller. Canadian bacon works just great.