Parmesan-Garlic Summer Vegetable and Italian Sausage Pasta

This past weekend, my wonderful husband planned a surprise birthday party for me. I was completely surprised and so excited to see all of the people that I love and care about together at the same time. Even though he specified no gifts, people still brought them. My sister's mother-in-law, Tina, gifted me a beautiful serving platter (shown below) along with a bottle of Giada De Laurentiis' Parmesan Garlic Vinaigrette. I have never tried any of her products, so I was so excited use it! Now is the perfect time of year for all of these wonderful vegetables. The parmesan garlic vinaigrette is a lovely addition of flavor to this meal also.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sausage (I used hot Italian)
• 1/4 c vegetable oil, divided
  
• 1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
  
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c onion, minced
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  
• 6 slices sun-dried tomatoes, drained and diced
  
• 1 handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/4 c chicken broth
  
• 2 tbsp Giada De Laurentiis' Parmesan Garlic Vinaigrette, or to taste
  
• 8 oz pasta, cooked according to package instructions (I used egg noodles)
• Grated parmesan cheese, to taste
  

Directions:

• Place the sausage in a large skillet. Add 1 inch of water to the skillet and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
• Discard the water from the skillet with the sausage. Add 2 tbsp oil back into the skillet and turn up heat to medium-high. Brown the sausage, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the sausage to a cutting board to cool.
• Meanwhile, in another large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the onions, squash and green pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir, until tender. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
• Slice the sausage into 1/4-inch pieces.
  
• Stir the cut up sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley into the vegetable skillet. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally; until the sun-dried tomatoes are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
  
• Whisk together the chicken broth and Giada's parmesan garlic vinaigrette and pour over the cooked pasta. Pour the sausage and vegetable mixture over top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over all.
  
• Enjoy!