This pasta isn't weighed down by heavy sauce, but it's full of flavor from sun dried tomatoes, broccoli florets, savory sausage and plenty of grated parmesan!
Fill a large stock pot about halfway full with water. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water, stirring once or twice. Cook to 3 minutes less than package directions. At this point reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Add broccoli to the pasta and boil additional 3 minutes. Drain pasta and broccoli.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add one tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium high flame. Carefully add sausages (they may splatter) and cook for a few minutes on each side until they are browned on several sides. Remove sausages to a cutting board. Slice sausages on the diagonal about 1/2" thick and set aside.
Add onion to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are crisp tender. Add mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir and cook an additional one to two minutes until heated through.
Add pasta water a ladleful at a time to create a sauce, continue to cook until sauce is reduced by half. Add cream and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Heat for a minute or two until bubbly and saucy. Add sausages back into the pan. Add drained pasta and broccoli and toss together.
Add parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Serve with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Like making a stir-fry, this recipe benefits from having all the components prepped beforehand. Cream can be boiled without curdling. Half and half or milk cannot. If you want to use half and half, don't add it until you've taken the pot off the heat, then toss in the pasta and broccoli.