Living on the Texas gulf coast allows us to have access to fresh Gulf Shrimp. It’s a blessing. When I watch land locked cooking shows use what they call “fresh” shrimp, I probably roll my eyes. When I mean “fresh” I mean I saw them moving when I bought them. Ok ok, so the ones I buy for cooking aren’t still alive, but I do see their cousins that came in on the same shrimp boat alive and swimming waiting for someone to buy them as bait and put them on a hook.

What pains me is that my husband refuses to eat shrimp. So, I rarely get creative with a shrimp recipe. Most of the time, I boil them for salads or I do a buttery shrimp scampi. However, I felt it was time to create something new, and Cajun food being one of my obvious favorites, I naturally gravitated towards doing a Cajun version.

This pasta isn’t heavy. So, if you are looking for a thick, rich sauce, this really isn’t it. I wanted a tasty sauce that covered the pasta well but doesn’t get clumpy. There is some dairy in my recipe, but I took it easy. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! (If I weren’t watching my calorie intake, I would have eaten it with a big ‘ol piece of garlic bread, but *sigh* not this time. )

What you’ll need: (approximately 4 servings)

• 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 T of fresh Thyme (or 1 tsp of dried)
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 12 oz fettuccine noodles
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Cajun seasoning
• 1 T of brown sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• parsley or green onion for garnish
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

Start your pasta water. Peel and devein your shrimp and place them in a bowl. Toss the shrimp with Cajun seasoning. I used quite a bit and by that, I mean something like 3 Tablespoons before they were good and covered. I like spicy food, though; so, if you don’t, I’d go easier here. Cook your pasta to al dente (about 8 minutes), drain and keep to the side until sauce is ready.

Chop up your bell pepper, onion, thyme and garlic.

Heat a pan at medium heat and add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the bell pepper, onion, thyme, 1 T of Cajun seasoning, 1 T of brown sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper until the onions are somewhat translucent. Hold back on adding the garlic until onions are translucent.

Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to burn your garlic.

Once garlic becomes fragrant, add the shrimp and cook until shrimp curl and are pink on both sides.

Once shrimp curl and are pink, add in the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth. Bring that to a simmer.

Now add the cream and let it thicken for a few minutes. After your sauce appears a bit thicker, add noodles and toss to coat. Top with chopped parsley or green onion and shaved Parmesan. Serve warm.