Sausage, Peppers and Broccoli Pasta

Necessity is the mother of invention. Thus was the creation of this dish. A few years ago on a very busy night, I needed a very quick dinner option, and this is what I came up with.

I’m always craving veggies, and this dish has plenty of them. Any dish with sausage has a tendency to be heavy, but in this case, the vegetables and the light broth really lighten it up. Adding fresh tomatoes at the end is one of my favorite ways to add a note of freshness to a pasta dish, in addition to the fresh herbs. You can use any kind of pasta for this meal. Angel hair happens to be one of my favorites:).

Now that I have two very small little boys to take care of, time is very precious. Playing in the kitchen is limited, unless it’s the weekend and my husband can take over babysitting, but by then, I usually just want to relax or go have some fun:). Anyway, I sure am glad that I have a bunch of easy recipes in my repertoire for baby days.

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

6-8 oz sausage, casing removed and cut into chunks

1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1 onion, sliced into half circles

1 bell pepper, julienned

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 head broccoli, cut into florets, the stem peeled and sliced into 1/4 inches

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt, pepper

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to how you like it.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook until it’s golden brown.

Add the hot pepper flakes, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Season with salt. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is softened. Add the broccoli, pour in the chicken broth and white wine.

Cook until the broccoli is tender but still vibrant green, the cooking time will depend on how big you cut the broccoli, about 3-5 minutes. Take the skillet off the heat, add the tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and heavy cream.

Toss the sausage and vegetables with the pasta and garnish with parsley.