The best dishes are ones made with lots of love and some really great spices, too. This broccoli and beef sausage rigatoni recipe has tons of veggies and some interesting herbs for a hearty dinner that will please even a picky crowd. Like many Italian dishes this one is based around tomatoes, but it has so much more going for it.

To start making this dish you’ll need to sauté onions, celery, and carrots along with garlic, 1 Roma tomato, and some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. This last ingredient adds some sweetness to the sauce which replaces the little bit of sugar or honey that you sometimes find in red sauce recipes.

The spices for this dish can be switched up to suit what you have in the spice cupboard, but I like a blend of chili flakes, fennel seeds, and Herbs de Provence. You can use Italian seasoning instead of the French version, but I find that the marjoram and fennel this blend really adds to the flavor and not all Italian seasoning blends use these 2 herbs.

Once this cooks down add in some tomato sauce and tomato paste. Then in goes your sausage and broccoli. Using frozen broccoli here is the easiest option. And, giving it time to cook with the lid on the pan means the crispier veggies get a chance to soften.

Then add some parsley at the end and toss with some cooked rigatoni and you’ve got all the elements of a great meal in one dish. There’s no denying that beef and broccoli compliment each other well and this dish brings these 2 together beautifully.