spicy sausage pasta

i made a lot of things from pinterest and had a pretty decent success rate. HOWEVER, this one recipe did not come out even remotely close to what the picture looked like. still tasted good so i guess it's not a fail. it just did not look as good as the pin. i'm going to copy the recipe exactly how the pun described it. the only change i made was i used milk instead of heavy cream because i'm trying to avoid heavy things like the plague..

spicy sausage pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce package smoked turkey sausage, sliced into rounds (I used Butterball brand)
1 1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel Tomatoes and Green Chiles, Original Style
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Thinly sliced scallions
Salt, to taste


Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) until smoking. 
Add the sausage and onion, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the broth, Ro-Tel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper, and give the mixture a good stir. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Preheat the broiler while the pasta is cooking.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions and remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned - about 3 minutes.