Stir up a pot of comfort with this Shrimp Pasta with Sausage. It gets an added kick from a homemade Cajun seasoning mix and costs much, much less than the restaurant version.
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Dinners out are pretty sweet, aren’t they? A chance to have a meal with people you love, a dinner that does not consist of chicken nuggets and french fries, a dinner that feels like something special.
What’s more special than a fancy dish of shrimp pasta?
Only trouble is, restaurants charge a pretty high price for pasta dishes. Funnily enough, most pasta dishes are incredibly easy to prepare and wonderfully cheap to make — even when you add “fancy” proteins like shrimp, like in this Shrimp Pasta with Sausage recipe.
This dish is creamy and comforting, dotted with succulent shrimp and spicy sausage; it gets a little extra warmth from a homemade Cajun spice blend.
Shrimp Pasta with Sausage
Though not officially “jambalaya pasta”, that’s what we call this Shrimp Pasta with sausage, a sort of copycat of the uber-spicy and ultra-expensive version my husband always orders at a certain cheesecake restaurant.
This Shrimp Pasta recipe, which feeds about 6 people, costs about $12, less than one serving of the restaurant version! At $2/serving, you can’t afford not to make this for a special evening supper.
It comes together in half an hour and tastes like a million bucks!
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when you see a great price on shrimp, snatch them up and plan you meals around them. Or fill the freezer so that you have it when you want it.
- Compare prices. Keeping a price book helps you to know a good deal (for sure) when you see it. I’ve found that in general, Costco and ALDI offer the best prices on these ingredients.
How I make this recipe easy:
Having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- my favorite skillet ever
- Ergo chef cooking tongs
- mesh strainer for rinsing the shrimp
- my IKEA utility knife
- plastic cutting boards
Shrimp Pasta with Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 Italian sausage links
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 clove garlic thinly sliced
- 1 cup half and half or cream
- 1-2 tablespoon Cajun Spice Mix
- 1 lb penne pasta cooked according to package directions and drained
- Parmesan cheese (shredded) to taste
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet fry the sausages until browned, turning to brown all sides, about 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water, according to package instructions. Drain.
- Add about an inch of water and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sausages are cooked through, another 5 to 7 minutes more. The water will evaporate as it simmers. Add more if necessary.
- Remove the sausages to a cutting board and slice.
- Drain any remaining water from the skillet. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the shrimp and garlic and saute until the shrimp are pink, just a few minutes.
- Stir in the half and half and cajun spice blend. Add the sausages and penne and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Mandy
This is one of our family’s favorite meals! All 8 of us really enjoy it, it’s SO tasty! The leftovers are delicious, too. Highly recommend!