This looks a lot harder than it really is and the natural flavors are so satisfying you won’t even miss the dairy!  Living in a food culture that relies so heavily on creamy, saucy, buttery, cheesy ingredients can dull the tastebuds.  This combination of fresh ingredients will remind you of Mother Nature’s goodness.  

 

Elements:

ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE, sliced (*Note that many sausages/salamis/pepperonis do contain milk/whey/casein so be sure to check labels.  I prefer Aidells brand and Applegate brand.)

ONION, sliced

SWEET PEPPERS, washed and sliced

BROCCOLI, washed and cut

One GARLIC CLOVE, minced

PASTA, cooked to al dente per package instructions (In the picture above I used Barilla Plus brand farfalle a.k.a bow tie pasta.  If you have a hard time with whole wheat pasta, try the multigrain kind like this Barilla Plus.  It is more wholesome than regular pasta but is not as dense as whole wheat.  Rice pasta is also a great alternative for those who need a gluten-free alternative.)

FRESH BASIL, roughly chopped or torn (You can also use a sprinkle of dried basil.)

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL for drizzling

SALT and PEPPER to taste

 

Application:

In a large pan, sauté the andouille sausage, onions, sweet peppers, broccoli, and garlic until the meat is cooked through & the veg is tender crisp.

Add the drained cooked pasta.  Toss altogether with basil, drizzled olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste.

 

Tips:

This pasta makes great leftovers!  Just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cooking your pasta to al dente is so important!  So that means…until you get good at cooking pasta just right, don’t ever leave your stove while the pasta is boiling.  Pasta overcooks easily and then becomes a sticky, unsightly mess.