Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sauce Recipe

This surf and turf combination will delight your dinner guests this Christmas season, and they’ll probably ask for seconds!

• ½ lb. large shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails removed

• 1 andouille sausage, about ½ lb., sliced into rounds

• 1-2 Tbsp. Cajun/Creole spice mix, adjust to your spice/heat level

• Olive oil

• ½ med. yellow onion, thinly sliced

• ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced

• 1 tsp. dried thyme

• 1 tsp. smoked paprika

• 1 Tbsp. Cajun/Creole spice mix

• 1 tsp. brown sugar

• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 large or 2 small)

• ½ cup crushed tomatoes

• ¾ cup chicken broth

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 12 oz. fettuccine or farfalle (bowties)

• Kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper

• Grated Parmesan & chopped parsley for serving

1. Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta. Toss shrimp in 1-2 Tbsp. of Cajun seasoning; coat well. Heat large skillet over med-high heat; drizzle pan with olive oil. Add shrimp; cook for 2 min. until shrimp starts to curl. Flip shrimp and cook another 1-2 min. Remove and set aside. Add more olive oil to pan. Add sausage; brown until caramelized 4-5 min. Remove and set aside.

2. Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente, 1 min. less than package instructions.

3. Lower heat to medium; add olive oil to pan, add onion, red bell pepper, thyme, smoked paprika, 1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning, brown sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté until onion and pepper have softened, scrape up browned bits. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec.

4. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan, simmer 2 min. Add cream and stir, bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add cooked pasta and andouille sausage. Stir to combine; heat through 2-3 min. Add chicken broth or cream if you’d like more sauce (¼ cup of each). Salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, add blackened shrimp and combine or place shrimp on top of pasta. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper, grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Chow down!