Pasta Bake With Pancetta, Tomato Sauce And Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 1 16oz package pasta shells or similar shaped pasta
• 4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto
• 3 cups (1 24-ounce jar) good-quality tomato sauce. Or you can also make your own fresh sauce.
• 1 8-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella, chopped or pulled into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook shells to al dente.
2. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
3. Meanwhile, while the pasta water is coming to a boil, saut� the pancetta in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and golden brown. Let cool and then crumble into small pieces. Pull apart your ball of mozzarella cheese and set aside.
4. Add to the cooked pasta, the cooked pancetta, tomato sauce, freshly torn mozzarella, and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Combine them all together. Season to taste with with salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Pour the pasta into a large baking or casserole dish or smaller individual casserole dishes, as shown below. If you're using a larger casserole dish, then you might want to grease it lightly with a bit of butter or olive oil. Top the pasta (or each of the pastas) with the parmesan cheese and the remaining shredded mozzarella.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until bubbling and light golden brown. You can put them under the broiler for a minute or two if you want the cheese to get that browned, crispy look.