Pasta with Cajun Shrimp and Andouille Alfredo Sauce

Busted! I'm about to get busted. Once the Big Guy sees it the secret's out as to why his weight blipped upwards overnight never mind his cholesterol count but darn, sometimes ya' just gotta' bite the bullet. In this case the bullet tasted like da' bayou.

From Southern Living via myrecipes.com, this recipe was marked outstanding so I just had to give it a try. Everything's present to make it stellar including andouille sausage, the trinity (onion, celery and green bell pepper) as well as cream and some beautiful big luscious gorgeous shrimp.

You can check out the original source by hitting the link above but I have to admit I didn't follow the recipe right down to the letter. It seemed like a bunch of overkill to me to add processed cheese or even cream cheese to the rich velvety sauce so I left it out entirely. I also mixed the cooked pasta into the sauce so the pasta had a chance to absorb all that creamy goodness. Regardless I would really hate to see a calorie count for this one - it's kind of over the charts. Just sayin'.

Are you wondering if it was worth it? Well, the two helpings the Big Guy enjoyed spoke volumes about what he thought but as for moi, I'd have been happier if I'd used the ingredients to make a big pot of gumbo. Oh well, there's always next time.

Pasta with Cajun Shrimp and Andouille Alfredo Sauce (adapted from Southern Living via my recipes.)

1/2 pound Andouille sausage, diced

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (salt free)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup grated mozzarella

4 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 pound linguini cooked to al dente

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat and add Andouille sausage. Cook until sausage is browned. Remove from pot and set aside. Add butter to pot and when melted, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp have just turned pink and feel firm to the touch – about 3 minutes total. Remove from pot and set aside. Add onion green pepper, celery and garlic to pot and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened – about 8 minutes. Add Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper to pot and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook another minute or two, stirring constantly. Whisk in chicken broth, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, stir in cream and half and half and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Return shrimp and Andouille sausage to pot along with grated parmesan and mozzarella, and then add cooked pasta. Increase heat to medium and cook while tossing pasta around to allow sauce to absorb into pasta (2 to 3 minutes). Add green onions and parsley. Serves 6 to 8.Note: This makes a lot of food, so you may want to cut the recipe in half although the leftovers freeze well. Download Pasta with Cajun Shrimp and Andouille Alfredo Sauce

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Comments

[Mary from Apron Strings & Wedding Rings]

02:45 pm Boston time AND... I just got up after duty called me for 17 hours last night. I WANT THIS ONE FOR BREAKFAST JUNE! Hugs, Mary L.

[Mary from Apron Strings & Wedding Rings]

June... Know some recipes are worth the cholesterol. Wanted to share that I successfully use regular or skim evaporated canned milk for cream in most of my recipes refusing to put up with the side effects of the Lipitors of the world! HUGS, Mary L.

[June]

Mary - sure hope you ended up having a good breaklunlinner LOL. Thanks for the advice re the canned milk. I too use it occasionally, but figure we can splurge on the real thing from time to time. Call it luck or good genes, but my cholesterol's fine and my other half exercises so much he'll burn off the calories in no time flat.

[Lea]

I took one look at that photo and thought: Now that looks good - and my mouth started watering - and then I read Cajun and I knew it was gonna be a good one! HA!

[June]

Lea - I thought of you as I was cooking last night and figured you'd like it especially since there's not a tomato in sight.

[Lorraine]

I really started cooking when I found my first Paul Prudhomemme cookbook back in the 80's, so you know I love cajun. I will trust your feedback on this dish and dial it back some. Love that you give honest info on the dishes you make. Hugs from me too!

[June]

Thanks Lorraine. If anything, I have a habit of being a little too honest, but I really believe in giving credit where credit is due. As for loving all things Cajun, now there's yet another thing we have in common!