When friends come to visit, I don't like to spend hours toiling over meals for them, yet I still want to serve food that is special. So I look for simple dishes that can be assembled without much effort at the last minute. That's exactly what I did last week when one of my oldest and dearest friends arrived for an overnight stay.

After searching through recipe files for ideas, I settled on a main course of penne with sausage, red peppers and broccoli to offer with a mixed-greens salad and a basket of warm, crusty Italian peasant bread. For dessert I made caramel walnut tarts the day before.

The penne, which was prepared with easy-to-find ingredients, made a colorful and delicious entree and won raves from my guest as well as from my family.

For this dish, I used Italian turkey sausage, which is lower in fat than traditional varieties, and was pleased with the results. And, of course, I was delighted that this distinctive entree took me only about 45 minutes from start to finish to complete. That left me with plenty of free time to enjoy my friend.

Penne With Italian Sausage, Red Peppers and Broccoli

Serves 6

1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

2 cups julienne sweet red peppers (cut strips about 1/4 -inch wide by 3 inches)

2 cups chicken stock

1 pound penne or other tube-shaped pasta

salt

3 cups broccoli florets (see Note)

2/3, cup half and half

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Asiago or imported Parmesan cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tablespoons chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Place large pot of water over high heat and bring to boil.

Remove and discard casings from sausage. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add sausage and cook, stirring constantly and breaking sausage into small pieces with wooden spoon. Cook until sausage is browned, about 5 minutes.

Add onions and red peppers and cook, stirring, until vegetables have softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add stock and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until stock is reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta. Add penne and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook 9 minutes. Add broccoli to pot with pasta and cook another 3 to 4 minutes until pasta is done and florets are tender. Drain penne and broccoli in colander.

Return penne and broccoli to pan in which they were cooked. Stir half and half into sauce and cook 1 minute. Toss pasta and broccoli well with sauce. Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mound pasta in large, shallow bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.

Note: Most supermarkets sell broccoli crowns, which are the tender top part of the broccoli stalk. For this recipe, you will need to cut the crowns into small florets before using them.