weeknight italian sausage pasta with broccoli

How To Make weeknight italian sausage pasta with broccoli

• Step 1
  Fill your pasta pot with salted hot water and heat it on high. While water heats, wash and cut your broccoli, and gather your other ingredients. Then put the 3 T oil into a large saucepan and heat it on medium high. By the time the water begins to boil, you should be ready to start browning the sausage.
• Step 2
  When water begins to boil, put the pasta into the water, and set a timer for 3 minutes before the recommended cooking time for the pasta.
• Step 3
  Add the sausage to the large heated saucepan. Break up the sausage and brown it for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to taste (I usually use about 2-3 teaspoons. We are not afraid of spice.)
• Step 4
  The pasta timer should be going off right around the same time your sausage is browned. Turn off the burner on the sausage if it's done. And the broccoli to the pasta pot, stir, and leave it alone for 3 more minutes.
• Step 5
  After the 3 minutes, ladle 1/2 cup of the pasta water into the sausage pot (the starch from the pasta in the water will help give the dish a thicker coating, but you can use regular hot water if you forget and drain the pot as I have many times, haha!) After draining the pasta and broccoli, dump them into the sausage saucepan. Stir everything over medium high until the water is mostly absorbed and everything is well-coated. Serve with freshly grated Romano or Asiago cheese and a salad.
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