One-Pot Pasta With Sausage and Broccoli
Serves 6to 8 INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup sliced onions
1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage 24-ounce jar of your favorite tomato-based pasta sauce or 3 cups homemade
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 pound short pasta such as fusilli, rigatoni or penne
4 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
½ cup grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste Chopped fresh basil or parsley, garnish
DIRECTIONS
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add olive oil, then onions and cook, stirring occasionally until they soften, about 5 minutes.
Turn heat to medium high, crumble sausage into the pot and cook, using a spoon to break up the meat,
until golden, about 5 minutes. If there is a lot of rendered fat, drain as much as possible out.
Add tomato sauce and crushed red pepper and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add broth, then the pasta and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 6-7minutes.
Add broccoli florets to the pot, cover
and cook for 6-7 minutes more, until pasta is al dente and broccoli is tender, but still firm (if you want your broccoli more or less tender, just adjust the timing of when you add it to the pot). Remove lid, stir in cheese, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh basil or parsley if desired. — Adapted from a recipe by Maria Belmonte, VJB Vineyards & Cellars, Kenwood