One Pot Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

• 8 oz sweet Italian sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb frozen broccoli florets
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 8 oz pasta, any small shape
• Pinch of red pepper, optional
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a skillet, add the sausage, and cook it over medium heat until it has browned. If you are starting with links, brown them until the outsides have color and they are firm enough to cut, then slice them into medallions, put them back in the skillet, and brown each side. Move the cooked sausage into a clean bowl, then pour off the fat in the skillet, leaving about 1 Tbsp behind.
2. Add the minced garlic and frozen broccoli florets to the same skillet. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring as needed, until the broccoli turns bright green and is no longer frozen. Spoon the broccoli into the bowl with the sausage.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, then stir or whisk to loosen all those browned bits from the bottom. Cut the sun dried tomatoes into strips, then add them to the broth along with the pasta and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir everything together, cover the skillet, and raise the heat to medium high. Once the broth comes to a boil, stir the pasta briefly, cover the skillet again, and reduce the heat to low or just above low so the broth stays at a steady simmer.
4. Cook the pasta and sun dried tomatoes for about 7 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the pasta is tender and most of the broth has been taken up. If the pasta is done before the broth has cooked down, leave the lid off for the last couple of minutes while it simmers.
5. When the pasta is tender and there is just a little thickened liquid left in the bottom of the skillet, return the sausage and broccoli to the pan. Stir everything together, scatter the grated Parmesan over the top, and serve right away.