Cajun Pasta

 

This is a tasty Alfredo-based Cajun pasta recipe. You can customize it pretty easily too: If you want to increase sauce, you can add 1 Tbs. butter to every additional 1/2 Tbs. of cream cheese. If you want less meat, leave out the chicken thighs. If you don't want cajun pasta, leave out the sausage, shrimp, and cajun seasoning and add fresh tomato and basil to the pasta!

Cajun Pasta

from Q

Ingredients:

1 lb. Fettuccine, or short pasta of choice

4 chicken thighs, sliced or diced

4 Andouille sausages, sliced thin

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 small onion, chopped small

1 small red pepper, chopped small

2 large cloves garlic

4 Tbs. butter

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. heavy cream

1 cup Parmesan, grated

cajun seasoning

olive oil

Instructions:

1. Start a pot of salted water boiling for the pasta.

2. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in dutch oven on medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, pepper, and 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning. Saute until peppers are soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Place vegetables in a separate bowl and set aside.

3. Fry the sausage slices until golden brown on both sides. Spoon sausage slices into bowl with vegetables, leaving behind juices.

4. Dust and rub Cajun seasoning on chicken thighs. Fry chicken thighs until thoroughly cooked. When close to finishing cooking, add in shrimp. Spoon chicken and shrimp into bowl with vegetables and sausages, leaving behind juices.

5. Start cooking pasta.

6. Melt butter in dutch oven. Add softened cream cheese and whisk until combined. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Add the Parmesan, and whisk until combined. Add pasta water by the tablespoon until sauce sticks to the back of a spoon but still runs off. Add Cajun seasoning to taste. 

7. Add pasta to dutch oven and stir to combine with sauce. Add in vegetables and meat, and stir to combine. 

8. Serve immediately and top with additional grated Parmesan if desired.