Rotini with Sauteed Chicken Sausage and Vegetables

This was one meal that I had not intended to post on my blog, but as I was cooking it and I saw how beautiful and colorful it was I couldn't help but taking pictures and sharing it with you all.
It not only looked great it tasted great too. and it is so healthy, packed as it is with veggies. 2/3 of the family loved this dish (this includes my husband and myself and our two teenage children). The other 1/3 which includes our ten year old and our 5 1/2 year old, are still picky. They don't eat a lot of veggies unless there is a lot of Ranch dressing involved. But I will keep trying. Judging from my two older ones the steady exposure to healthful meals will pay off soon.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 box (1lb) whole wheat rotini pasta (I used regular white)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 sweet Italian style fully cooked chicken sausages, cut into 1/4-inch coins*
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup basil, sliced
Grated Parmesan for topping

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boiling. Add green beans and broccoli and cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. To the same pot, add rotini, and cook according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage ans cook 5 minutes, turning once , until browned. Remove to a plate. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, green beans, broccoli and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in sausage, broth, tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper; simmer 2 minutes. Toss the pasta with the sausage and vegetables, adding reserved cooking liquid as needed to create a sauce. To serve, stir in basil and top with Parmesan

* I couldn't find this exact kind of sausage, so I used a slightly different one. Any fully cooked chicken sausage would work.

Serves 6

(Recipe from Family Circle, September 2012)