If you haven’t guessed by now, I have a special love for pasta dishes. I created this dish to satisfy my husband’s two favorites; shrimp and cajun spices. It isn’t very difficult to make and the ingredients are versatile, use as much or as little of the shrimp and sausage as you like. I suppose that is why I love making these kinds of pasta dishes – it is super simple to change things up!
Creamy Creole Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box (lb) penne pasta
- olive oil
- 1 T butter
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 C polish kielbasa or andouille sausage, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, both white and green parts chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes, do not drain
- 1/2 to 1 Tbsp creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's original blend)
- 1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream plus 1/4 C
- 1 T cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 C rotisserie chicken, pulled
- 1/3 C Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare pasta by boiling in salted water according to package directions for al dente. You want to make sure your pasta has a slight bite to it.
While pasta is cooking, saute the shrimp in olive oil and some butter. When the shrimp begin to curl, turn over and cook until just pink. This only takes a minute or two per side. Do not overcook. Remove from pan and place in bowl. Set aside.
Add the kielbasa to the pan and saute until slightly crispy, about 3-5 mins.
Add the garlic and green onions and cook for one more minute.
Add the creole seasoning and can of tomatoes and cook until the juice has nearly all reduced, about 5-8 more minutes.
Lower the heat and stir in the cream and cheese. In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/2 C of cream with the cornstarch and add to the pan.
Once the sauce has thickened add the chicken, shrimp and salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the drained pasta and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and some fresh crusty bread.
Notes
- Play with the amount of creole spice if you like a more (or less) spicy dish.
- If you want a thicker sauce, mix more cornstarch in with the the cream before adding to pan. Or if thinner, add more cream or chicken broth.
Yum! Going to try this one out soon 😁