Creamy Cajun Style Pasta

Creamy Cajun Style Pasta is such a delicious fusion of bold flavors that combines spicy Andouille sausage, succulent Cajun flavored Gulf shrimp, and fresh fettuccine noodles smothered in a thick, creamy, cheese sauce consisting of parmesan and goat cheese with a hint of Cajun spice to tie everything in.

I love anything that calls for Cajun Spices, and I decided to try a new recipe for a pasta dish with some leftover ingredients from making my Jambalaya the other night. After all, I still had a good pound of raw Gulf shrimp and fresh Andouille sausage leftover, the idea of combining them with a creamy homemade cheese sauce and fresh pasta was making me super excited!

 

I decided that I wanted to add more flavor to the Creamy Cajun Style Pasta and thought that diced Rotel tomatoes might be that extra layer of character I was looking for. One thing about Rotel tomatoes that I love is the addition of chiles to the canned tomatoes, making it perfect for adding a bold flavor to almost any recipe that calls for tomatoes.

I also wanted to keep the dish neat and clean with minimal ingredients, which would keep the andouille and shrimp the key focus in my Cajun Style Pasta dish tonight. I love veggies, but sometimes I crave and excellent meat and cheese recipe without all the other ingredients taking the flavor.

 

 

 

Creamy Cajun Style Pasta

• 16 Sixteen ounces fresh fettuccine noodles/ or dry
• Eight ounces Andouille sausage sliced
• One pound of raw gulf shrimp, shells removed
• One tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 of a teaspoon Cajun seasoning for shrimp
• One teaspoon of hot sauce
• Two and 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 of a cup of unsalted butter
• Four ounces of goat cheese
• Two cups grated Parmesan
• One (10 ounces) can of Ro*Tel diced tomatoes
• zest of one lemon
• One teaspoon of Cajun seasoning or to taste
• One pinch Cayenne pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• kosher salt
• freshly ground  pepper

 

 

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm, occasionally stirring, about 3-4 minutes for fresh or 8 minutes for dried pasta. Drain pasta without rinsing.
2. In a metal skillet over medium heat, place sliced andouille sausage and cook through until done about 5 minutes. Remove andouille sausage and put it on a plate until ready.
3. Meanwhile, place 1 pound of clean, shell-free, shrimp in a glass bowl along with olive oil, Cajun seasoning, and hot sauce, lightly toss the ingredients till the shrimp is thoroughly coated.
4. In the same metal skillet used for cooking the andouille sausage, place raw shrimp in the pan on medium heat and cook 4-5 minutes or until completely done. Remove from heat and place on the plate with andouille sausage.
5. Stir two cups of the cream and the lemon juice in a large skillet to blend. Add the real butter and goats cheese and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, occasionally stirring about 3 minutes.
6. Add one can of Ro*Tel diced tomatoes, cook three minutes on low heat, then wholly remove skillet from the heat.
7. Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, andouille sausage, shrimp, and Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, one teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and freshly ground pepper.
8. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. 
9. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

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