1. Chop the bacon very finely. Peel and chop the onions and garlic cloves finely. Heat up a large frying pan, add the chopped bacon and render out the fat a bit. Add half of the chopped onions and garlic and fry until lightly browned. Take off the heat and let cool down a bit.

2. Add the ground beef to a bowl, add the fried bacon, onion, and garlic, as well as the bread crumbs, egg, crushed red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika powder. Mix everything until well combined and season with salt and pepper. Make golf ball-sized balls out of the mixture and set aside.

3. Clean and chop the mushrooms. If you use frozen ones, let them defrost first – if you use dried ones, soak them first in warm water as stated on the package. Wash and dry the kale, remove the thick stems and chop coarsely. Set aside.

4. Heat up a large pot with salted water and cook the pasta as stated on the package until al dente. When done drain and set aside. Keep some of the pasta water – just in case.

5. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large pan with some olive oil and fry the meatballs from all sides until nicely browned – takes about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pan, set aside and keep warm. Add some more oil if necessary and add the remaining onion and garlic and fry until soft and glossy. Add the chopped mushrooms and kale and fry for 6-8 minutes until everything is cooked and crisp. Add the drained pasta, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the pasta also got some color. If the mix looks dry, add a bit of the pasta water and mix well, then add the meatballs back into the pan. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with some grated parmesan on top.