Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. large shrimp (peeled and deveined)

  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)

  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)

  • ½ teaspoon dried Oregano

  • 2 tablespoons Olive oil

  • 6 oz andouille sausage or smoked sausage (thinly sliced)

  • 10 ounces fettuccine pasta

  • ½ yellow onion (thinly sliced)

  • 1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)

  • 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)

  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

  • 2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)

  • ½ cup crushed tomatoes

  • 1 cup chicken broth sodium free

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • ⅔ cup Grated Parmesan

  • 1 tbsp parsley (chopped)

Preparation:

  1. Toss shrimp with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and Oregano, and coat well. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle bottom of pan with olive oil.

  2. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Flip shrimp over and cook another minute or two. Then remove to a plate and set aside. Drizzle pan with a little more olive oil, add sausage and brown until nicely caramelized, about 4 - 5 minutes. Remove to plate, set aside.

  3. Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente.

  4. Lower heat to medium and add a bit more olive oil to the pan, add the onion, red bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté until onion and pepper have softened a bit, scraping up any browned bits that you can. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  5. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan, simmer a couple minutes.

  6. Once simmering, add Parmesan and stir into sauce. When Parmesan is blended in, add cooked pasta and sausage and stir to combine and heat through, 2 - 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and then lastly, add shrimp.

  7. Serve with chopped parsley.