Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Cajun Shrimp
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Cajun Shrimp has all of the sweet and smoky flavor of roasted red peppers and roasted garlic with a touch of cream and spice. The simple sauce is topped with sauteed, Cajun-spiced shrimp and served over a bed of fettuccine with a garnish of fresh parsley and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Servings: 6
Calories: 530kcal
Ingredients
Roasted Red Peppers
- 2 red peppers roasted roughly chopped See link in Recipe Notes
Roasted Garlic
- 1 head garlic roasted removed from outer skins See link in Recipe Notes
Shrimp
- 24 ounces peeled and deviened raw shrimp medium or large
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - divided 2 T for marinade and 1 T to saute the shrimp
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder preferably ancho or chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika preferably smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt - to be added with cooking
- 1 tablespoon butter
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes add additional pepper flakes if desired.
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 cup cream or half and half
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf italian parsley
- grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
- 12 ounces Fettuccine cooked to package directions
Instructions
Shrimp
- Mix the raw, peeled and deviened shrimp in a medium mixing bowl with the olive oil, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, and pepper and let it marinate for 20 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium hot fry pan until butter foams.
- Add shrimp in a single layer to the hot pan. Sprinkle with salt and saute, flipping once. Cook the shrimp JUST until they are no longer opaque and remove to a bowl.
Sauce
- After removing the shrimp from the fry pan, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and butter and return to a medium temperature. When butter begins to foam add the onion and a sprinkle of salt.
- Saute the onions for about 5 minutes until they are soft and begin to brown.
- Add a the crushed red pepper flakes, the roasted red pepper, and the roasted garlic and cook for about 1 minute until the crushed red pepper becomes fragrant.
- Stir in the white wine and bring up to a gentle simmer and let it reduce by a third to a half for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and the cream or half and half and again bring to a gentle simmer.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and puree/pulse. This may be done with an immersion hand blender or in the traditional blender. The sauce does not need to be perfectly smooth. Some texture is desired while still pureeing the vegetables to the desired consistency.
- Stir in the majority of the chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, reserving a little to use as a garnish. Taste the sauce to check if additional salt is desired.
- Either stir in the cooked pasta with the sauce or top the pasta with the sauce. Serve the shrimp on top and garnish with the remaining parsley and fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 355mg | Sodium: 1532mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 20.2mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 4.2mg