Recipe by Chef Heidi Fink
Pasta with Italian Sausage and Broccoli
- Prep time 20 mins
- Cook time 20 mins
- Ready in 40 mins
- Yield Serves 4 to 6
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A hearty, inexpensive dinner, packed with flavour and nutrition.
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Sauce
- Garnish
Directions
- Fill a large pot with water (about 3 to 4 litres) and add the 1 Tb salt. Bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, start the sauce. In a separate large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 10 seconds. Add the sausage meat, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for several minutes, until the sausage is no longer pink.
- Add the broccoli florets, the ½ tsp salt, and the ½ cup of water. Stir well and cover to let the broccoli steam for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, along with their juice and cook sauce uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is done cooking.
- Part way through cooking the sauce, the pasta water should be boiling. Add the pasta shapes, stirring well. Return to a boil, stirring constantly. Let pasta boil, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Do not rinse.
- The sauce and pasta should be done around the same time.
- Add the cooked pasta, and ½ cup of the pasta-cooking water, to the pan with the sauce. Stir well and simmer together for one minute, adding a bit more pasta water if needed to keep the bottom from sticking.
- Taste to see if the dish needs more salt and adjust if necessary. Stir in chopped parsley.
- Garnish each portion with cheese, or, for a fancier presentation, cover the whole pan of pasta with the grated cheese and place under the broiler in your oven for a couple of minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
