Spicy and creamy Cajun pasta dish with blackened shrimp and andouille sausage.
Do you have a dish that you always order from a favorite restaurant? Me yes, and it's Creole Pasta in this charming bistro in our new neighborhood. I'm craving it and wish I could try something else on the menu, but I just can't.
Obsessed and inspired, I decided to do something like this at home. It took a few tries, but I found a creamy Cajun shrimp and sausage noodle dish that can rival ~aleluia.
I like cajun seasoning or creole seasoning, the two terms seem to be used interchangeably, but they are actually slightly different. I'm no expert, but in layman's terms I've described some Creole foods as "city food" and Cajun as "country food". I'll go with the Cajun here, and leave the nuances to others.
*ingredients
°1 pound large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
°Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
°1 teaspoon Cajun (or Creole) seasoning
°½ teaspoon dried oregano
°2 tablespoons olive oil
°6 ounces andouille sausage or smoked sausage (thinly sliced)
°10 ounces fettuccine pasta
°½ yellow onion
°1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
°4 teaspoons Cajun (or Creole) seasoning
°1 teaspoon brown sugar
°2-3 garlic cloves (chopped)
°A cup of tomato puree
°1 cup sodium-free chicken broth
°1 cup heavy cream
°A quarter cup of grated parmesan
°1 tbsp parsley (chopped)
*How to Make:
Toss shrimp with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and oregano and coat well. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of the skillet.
Adding prawns and cook for 2 mn. Flip the shrimp and cook for a minute or two. Then remove to a plate and set aside. Pour a little olive oil into the pan, add the sausage and sauté until caramelized, about 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Add pasta to boiling salted water and cook until al dente.
Reduce the heat to medium and add a little olive oil to the pan, add the onion, red pepper, Cajun seasoning, brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the onion and pepper have softened slightly, scraping up any browned bits as much as possible. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer for a few minutes.
Once boiling, add the parmesan and mix with the sauce. When the Parmesan is blended, add the cooked pasta and sausage and stir until combined and heated through, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then finally add the prawns.
Served with chopped parsley.
Enjoy !