Broccoli Sausage Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 12 cups pasta salad

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Dressing:
• ¼ c Red Wine Vinegar
• ½ c Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Granulated Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 large Garlic Clove, diced
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
Ingredients for Pasta Salad:
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1 pound pre-cooked Chicken Apple Sausage, sliced
• 1 12-ounce box Penne Pasta (gluten-free or regular), prepared
• 1/3 cup Red Onion, finely chopped
• 1-pound Broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 Red, Yellow or Orange Sweet Pepper (or 2 halves of different peppers), sliced thinly and slices halved
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1/3 cup raw Sunflower Seeds

Instructions

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid. Shake to fully combine; stir to dissolve the sugar if needed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausage slices and stir until they are lightly browned. Remove from heat.
3. In a large serving bowl combine the sausage, pasta, onion, broccoli, and pepper slices; toss with the dressing. Stir in the mozzarella cheese cubes and sunflower seeds. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Note: if using gluten-free pasta, the salad is best eaten the day it is prepared.