One Pot Sausage & Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 links Italian sausage
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 8 oz. button mushrooms
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lb. rigatoni
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• handful fresh parsley, optional

Directions

1. Pour the olive oil into a large pot, add the sausage links, and set it over medium heat. Cook until the sausages are browned on the outside and feel firm enough to cut into rounds. Lift them out with tongs, slice them into rounds, then put them back in the pot and cook a few minutes longer, until the pieces are browned all over.
2. As the sausage cooks, prep the vegetables: slice or mince the garlic, and slice or dice the onion, depending on the size pieces you like. Slice the mushrooms as well.
3. When the sausage is browned, add the crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, basil, and oregano. Stir everything together, scraping the bottom of the pot so the browned bits loosen into the sauce.
4. Add the vegetable broth and pasta, and stir again. Cover the pot, raise the heat to high, and bring it to a strong boil. Once it is fully boiling, stir, put the lid back on, and lower the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. You want it bubbling the whole time, so nudge the heat up a bit if it slows down too much.
5. After 15 minutes, the pasta should be tender and most of the liquid should have cooked into the sauce. If it still looks too loose, simmer it uncovered for a couple more minutes. Stir in the parmesan, then finish with chopped fresh parsley, if you like.