Penne with Sausage and Peas

We had this for dinner last night, and I have to say that I thought it was delicious just because it was so simple tasting. I also made several substitutions and changes to the original recipe, and it seems to be one that is easy to vary based on the ingredients you have on hand.

Penne with Sausage and Peas
12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
2 T olive oil
12 ounces fully cooked roasted garlic chicken sausage, sliced on the diagonal
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, except add the frozen peas during the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking. Drain.

Heat 1 T of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook 3 minutes, turning a few times, until browned. Remove to plate.


Heat remaining 1 T oil in the same skillet. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and salt and cook 2 minutes. (I used a pint of my home-bottled tomatoes and reduced the chicken broth by half. I also put in a couple of teaspoons of Italian herb blend.) Stir in chicken broth, sausage, and noodles/peas and heat through. Top with parmesan.

Know what else would be delicious? If you put a little splash of heavy cream in this at the end. Oh, and quintupled the cheese.