FAST CHICKEN SAUSAGE, RED PEPPER, BROCCOLI, PASTA

1 package of GF chicken sausage

1 red pepper

1 large head of broccoli

1/2 cup of red wine

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 package brown rice or corn pasta (12-16 oz)

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

optional Lactose-free Parmesan cheese (I like Go Veggie)

1. Chop up red pepper (I do thin slices the long way, cut into 3) and broccoli into nice bite sizes.
2. Slice sausage and saute in a hot skillet with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I like to cook them until they get a nice dark brown, but that’s just preference–cook them however you like them!
3. Remove cooked sausage from pan and set aside.
4. Add half of the red wine and half of the chicken broth to the same hot pan you just took the sausage out of. It will sizzle and make you feel like a real chef. Scrape the bottom of the pan as it sizzles to pick up all of the little flavor bits. Fancy folks call this “deglazing the pan”. 😉
5. Add red pepper, broccoli, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the wine & broth. Turn it down to Medium.
6. Fill a medium-sized pot 75% of the way with water, add a teaspoon of salt and olive oil, and bring to a boil.
7. In your pot of boiling water, drop your GF pasta and set the timer for 8 minutes. The worst thing you can do with GF pasta is overcook it–it WILL get mushy if you wait to check on it until the next commercial. After 8 minutes test it, and reset the timer for another couple of minutes if you’d like.
8. Add the rest of the red wine, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes to the peppers & broccoli.
9. Add the sausage back into the pan of deliciousness. Turn it down to Low.
10. Once the pasta is cooked, strain and add it to the rest of the mixture. Combine all of the ingredients so that the pasta gets a nice coat of the sauce. Take a taste and add some LF Parmesan/salt/pepper if you’d like.