Pasta with Sausage & Roasted Broccoli

There are so many things to love about this meal. Well, first, it’s pasta. It comes together in less than 30 minutes start to finish. It costs less than $20 to feed your family. It has very few ingredients. If you have a picky eater it can be served as separate components. But most importantly it has so much flavor. Which you might not expect, but all the ingredients have a chance to really show off. I have made this for company. I have made it in a rental vacation house and fed a crown. And I have made it on a Tuesday night after rushing in from soccer practice. Hope you will make it too.

Serves 6

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 oz bite-sized broccoli florets (2½ to 3 cups)
Kosher salt
16 oz Italian sausage (use sweet if cooking for kids, or half sweet, half spicy)
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound dried pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Preheat the oven to 425.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add 1/4 cup kosher salt. Cook pasta to al dente or per the box directions, reserving 1 cup of cooking water before draining.

Spread broccoli out on a large sheet pan and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to coat. Roast for 15-17 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While broccoli is roasting heat a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage, pinching pieces off as you add it. Cook, breaking apart pieces even more, until the sausage browns, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and oregano, and simmer over medium heat until the broth cooks down, about 5 to 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Add the broccoli and pasta to the sausage in the skillet, and sprinkle with half of the reserved pasta water and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon to blend. Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Add more pasta water if needed to create a sauce that lightly coats the pasta. Serve immediately.