Fabulous Italian Sausage Pasta Soup

I have cooked this meal many times before and it is one of our favorites! I used a healthier kind of pasta noodles but you can use mostaccioli or penne pasta. It's entirely up to you. That is the beauty of cooking - you don't have to follow the recipe exactly. You can always add/remove/alternate... and it will still turn out amazing! Good luck and hope you like this recipe!


Italian Sausage Pasta Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage (If you like spicy food, definitely go with hot Italian sasauge. Also, if you want a healthier meal, use turkey Italian sasauge instead.)
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 cup uncooked pasta (preferrably mostaccioli or penne pasta - about 3 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) (Of course, I didn't use onions in this recipe. Again, my husband is "allergic" to onions. In other words, he hates it!)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (Use more if you like garlic. I used 3 cloves.)
1 can (28 ounces) roma (plum) tomatoes, undrained. (I used regular diced tomato cans)
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed beef broth

Direction:
Cook sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.
Stir in remaining ingredients, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.


**Note: If you like cheese, add about 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. Also, add about 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning for a nice flavor if you desire. Sprinkle mozarella cheese on top before serving. Enjoy!!

Adapted from Betty Crocker