Pasta with Sausage and Peppers

I really love Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast cookbook.  I've made just about every recipe in it and they've almost all been fantastic.  This one in particular has been a staple dish in my house for the last couple years.  I made it tonight and my son even went for seconds.  That's high praise.  So here's my modified version of the recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/2 lb (1/2 box) orecchiette or other short pasta (I always use the orecchiette)

Salt

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

1 lb ground sausage

1/4 cup water reserved from pasta water

1/2 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

1/6 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)

Serves 6

Directions

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil.  When the water boils, add the pasta and cook  according to package directions.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat a large frying pan at medium heat.  If desired, add oil.  Cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned (7-10 minutes).  Add the peppers and cook 3-4 more minutes until heated through.
3. When the pasta is cooked, measure out 1/4 cup of water from the pot and set aside. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.  When the meat and peppers are cooked, also drain.  In the large bowl, mix the pasta, sausage mixture, butter, Parmesan, and as much of the reserved pasta water as you want to get a light saucy texture.  Season with salt and pepper if desired (I don't).  Top with freshly grated Parmesan.