Sausage and broccoli pasta

A quickie. Unfortunately, all I really have time for these days.

This is one of my favorite go-to weeknight recipes. All you really need is a pantry staple (pasta), a freezer staple (frozen chicken or turkey sausage), a crisper staple (broccoli - although I've used everything from asparagus to chard), and a cheese staple (good ole Parmesan).

4-6 oz pasta, any shape you like
2 sausages, sliced (I prefer chicken or turkey just to be a little healthier - these were chicken and mozzarella, mmm)
~1/2 a small onion, diced finely
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced1 head broccoli, chopped into medium sized chunks
splash of low sodium chicken stock
handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet or dutch oven, saute the sausage slices in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Once they're nicely browned on both sides, add the onion and garlic and allow to soften for a few minutes. Add the broccoli and chicken stock (I'd say a quarter to half cup), and season the whole pot with a good pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. I like to add red pepper flakes, too. (Be like me. It's good.) Give it all a toss. Here's where a lot of people go wrong with broccoli; you don't have to cook the shit out of it. Once it becomes bright green it's done, which takes like 3 minutes, tops. Add in your cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly to combine. Dish it up in big shallow bowls.

Serves 2, takes about 20 minutes.