Again, work with me here on this picture... I don’t have the greatest natural light in my kitchen (esp. around dinner time) but I assure you, it was quite tasty! In fact, too tasty not to share!
My family loves shrimp and I make it pretty often but I’ve never made it with Cajun seasoning, until last night!
The veggies you’ll need…
As well as some butter, half & half, and some Cajun spices.
Liberally coat the shrimp with Cajun seasoning.
Cook Linguine to “al dente.”
In the meantime, sauté shrimp in butter for about 1 min. a side. DO NOT cook the shrimp all the way through before removing from pan. Overcooked shrimp is rubbery and no bueno.
In the same pan (with all the yummy bits left from the shrimp) sauté veggies until softened.
Add 1 Tbsp. flour and cook into veggies for a minute or two (step not shown). Then add some half & half.
Season with S & P, plus additional Cajun seasoning (if desired).
Toss noodles directly into the same pan, mix, and serve!
*I also used about 3 ladles full of pasta water to break up the thickness of the sauce.
Ok, so we don’t go to The Cheesecake Factory very often but when we do, Morgan always orders the same thing, their Cajun Jambalaya Pasta. Although my dish didn’t have any chicken in it like theirs does, Morgan ate every bite, asked for more shrimp, and then proclaimed it tasted like his favorite dish at the Cheesecake Factory!
Ding, ding, ding!!! That’s exactly what I was going for!!
The girls weren’t crazy about the new spices but they’ll come around…
This was definitely a decadent dish for us. I don’t often cook with creamy sauces but this was a special treat! I also love how quickly everything comes together. It only takes about 10-15 mins. start to finish.
I love me a quick, easy, and delicious weekday meal! I’ll definitely be making this again!
Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Cream Sauce
1/2 - 3/4 box of linguine, cooked al dente
1 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. shrimp, peeled/deveined
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. flour
1 cup half and half
Cajun seasoning
salt, pepper to taste
Heat the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Sprinkle the shrimp liberally with Cajun seasoning, and then sauté in the pan for 1 minute per side (you are not cooking it through here). Remove with a slotted spoon.
To the skillet, add the onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add the flour and stir it for a minute or two, to cook off its rawness. Add the half and half and stir, thickening. Put the shrimp back into the skillet to cook through. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more Cajun seasoning, if desired). Toss with hot pasta, add pasta water to loosen the thickness of the sauce, then serve.
*Recipe adapted from Jill.
Thanks, Jill! You’re not only crafty, you make some delicious food, too!
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