Giada's Penne with Sausage, articokes, and asparagus

3/4 cup drained oil packed sun dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1 pound hot italian sausage
2 (8oz) packages frozen articoke hearts
1 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1 inch pieces
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
12 ounces penne or other tubular pasta
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fesh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat reserved from tomoatoes in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, beaking up the meat into bite size pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted sppon to transfer to a bowl. Add the articokes, asparagus, and garlic to the same skillet, and suate over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun dried tomatoes. Boil over medium heat until the sauce reduces slightly, sirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta.

Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley to the articopke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarellsa, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional parmesan cheese.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SPRES242.