A quick and easy skillet pasta meal, made with medium shrimp, andouille sausage and a simple sauce. May also substitute chicken.
Cajun Shrimp and Pasta Skillet
Happy New Year y'all! Yes, this is my first post of 2015 - actually my first post since mid-December. Life has been super crazy busy and it's been a challenge enough to keep active and relevant on Facebook lately the way that they run their algorithms for who sees what over there anymore. They certainly don't favor pages, especially small blogger pages. Geez.Christmas with the grandchildren at our new house was a blast this year. They are all finally old enough to understand what's going on, and Grandma and Paw Paw probably went overboard, of course. I think that's partly our job now though. They have been out of school for 2 weeks on winter break, heading back to school tomorrow, so we also got to have quite a few full days with them too. We had fun figuring out where the elf would appear everyday and talking about the history of the ornaments on Grandma's tree. Frankly, it's the happiest Christmas I have had since the passing of my Mama.
This recipe is a simple and easy skillet meal that I like to lean on when I'm busy with a million things. Or dog-tired. Or pressed for time. Or, well... all of the above, like lately!
I honestly do not know how women with children are able to blog about anything - much less food! You might think there isn't much to this food blogging thing, but I assure you, most of the work goes on behind the scenes and... it's a lot more than anybody would ever imagine. One of the resolutions I'm hoping to achieve this year, is to get better organized because I've been like a puppy chasing its tail here lately!
This dish is very simply seasoned with a little onion, bell pepper and garlic, bacon (because doesn't bacon really make everything better?), andouille and fresh Gulf shrimp. Instead of heavy cream, I make the sauce from the pasta water and finish with a little butter, making it a slightly lighter dish than the typical Cajun shrimp and pasta, coming at this time of year when we're all trying to rein it in a tad.
Here's how to make it. As always, scroll further down the page, past the tutorial, for the full ingredient list, directions and a printable.
First you'll want to prepare the pasta you're using al dente according to package directions. You can use any short cut pasta that you like in this skillet dish. I chose farfalle (bow ties) this time. Be sure to reserve 2 cups of the cooking water when you drain the pasta and set that aside.
Season the shrimp generously with Old Bay and Cajun seasoning. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium high and saute shrimp just until pink. Remove and set aside.
Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and brown sausage; remove and set aside. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until softened.
Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. I had a red bell pepper so that's what I used but any sweet pepper will do. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and 1 cup of the reserved cooking water; stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Return the shrimp and sausage to the skillet; stir, adding additional cooking water, only as needed, to make a sauce. Add salt, pepper and Cajun or Creole seasonings to taste.
Stir in the butter and parsley, taste and adjust seasonings.
Plate and serve!
For more of my favorite pasta recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!
Cajun Shrimp and Pasta Skillet
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min
A quick and easy skillet pasta meal, made with medium shrimp, andouille sausage and a simple sauce. May also substitute chicken.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound short cut pasta, cooked
- 1 pound (41/50) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Old Bay seasoning, to taste
- Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama or Beazell's), to taste
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil (vegetable, canola, olive), divided
- 1/4 pound of andouille or other smoked sausage, chopped
- 2 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and Cajun or Creole seasoning, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare pasta al dente according to package directions; reserve 2 cups of the cooking water, drain pasta and set aside.
- Season shrimp generously with Old Bay and Cajun seasoning. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium high and saute shrimp just until pink. Remove and set aside.
- Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and brown sausage; remove and set aside.
- Add the bacon to the pan and cook until softened; add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes; add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add cooked pasta to the pan and 1 cup of the reserved cooking water; stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Return the shrimp and sausage to the skillet; stir, adding additional cooking water, only as needed, to make a sauce.
- Add salt, pepper and Cajun or Creole seasonings to taste. Stir in the butter and parsley, taste and adjust seasonings; serve immediately.
Notes:
Use any medium, short cut pasta such as elbows, rotini, trumpets, shells or bowties will also work. May substitute one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes; omit Old Bay.
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