Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli

I saw this recipe while reading Parents magazine and it really was right up my alley. Pasta - check! Chicken sausage - check! Easy - check! I've made it twice and although I made a few minor changes to it, it's a great meal for a weeknight and to have as leftovers for lunch. And of course, the 18 month old and 10 year old were very happy with it and that means success to me!

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 13 oz. tricolor pasta
  
• 1 10 oz package frozen broccoli
  
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 links (6 oz.) cooked chicken sausage with Italian flavorings, sliced
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 TBSP crushed red pepper (optional)
  

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth and water to boiling in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Four minutes before the pasta is finished add the broccoli to the pot. Just before draining, reserve 2-3 ladles of the cooking liquid. Drain and return the pasta and broccoli to the pot.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the sausage slices until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the sausage and any olive oil in the pan to the drained pasta mixture. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Mix in the cheese and red pepper flakes. Makes 6 servings.