Simply Elegant Home Cooking's video: Cajun Creamy Pasta With Shrimp Andouille Sausage

Creamy cajun pasta with shrimp and andouille sausage is a delicious restaurant quality dish that you can easily make in your own home kitchen! Join Eric from Simply Elegant Home Cooking as he demonstrates the steps for this recipe. One of the keys to the dish is to not overcook the shrimp, and if you follow along you will be guaranteed a perfect result when you make this creamy cajun pasta dish! Ingredients: -1 pound large wild shrimp -6 ounces (2 links) andouille sausage -14 ounces San Marzano Tomatoes -3 cloves garlic -4 tablespoons olive oil -1 red bell pepper -1/2 white or yellow onion -4 teaspoons cajun seasoning -1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes -1 cup heavy cream -3 green onions -1/2 pound penne pasta Directions: -Set out the shrimp at least 30 minutes before cooking. Clean, peel, and devein them. Also get a large pot of pasta ready heating up so it is ready when you need. -While the shrimp sit out, start by making marinara sauce. This is done by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a COLD sauce pan, along with 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Turn on the heat to medium and watch for the garlic to sizzle. As soon as a steady sizzle is reached, turn the heat down to medium low and cook the garlic for 3 minutes. Do not brown the garlic. Then after 3 minutes, add in the crushed San Marzano Tomatoes, 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning, and the red pepper flakes. Turn up the heat to medium until a boil is reached and then turn down to medium low. The sauce will need to simmer for 10-15 minutes, and will need to be stirred every few minnutes. -While the sauce cooks, you can prep the shrimp and andouille sausage. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of cajun seasoning to the shrimp and mix thoroughly using your hands. Cut the andouille sausage links into thin slices. You can also use this time to slice up the onion and red bell pepper. -After simmering the sauce for 10-15 minutes, it should have thickened up a bit. Once this is ready, remove that pan from the heat and begin preheating a large pan big enough to make the cajun creamy pasta sauce and make sure it will also hold the cooked pasta which will be added later. -Once pan is preheated on medium high heat, and a bit of olive oil and cook the shrimp. You can either cook for 1 minute on each side, or you can stir fry them for 2 minutes moving constantly. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SHRIMP!!! they will be added back into the sauce at the end so don't worry if they are slightly undercooked in the middle. Remove the shrimp from the pan, add in a little more oil (if needed) and add in the andouille sausage. The andouille sausage is precooked so you only need to sear the exterior which takes about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan once cooked and set aside with the shrimp. -In the same pan, with the oil still in it, add in the onion and red bell pepper. Add in a bit of salt and pepper if desired. Saute the veggies for about 7 minutes or until lightly browned. -After the veggies are ready, leave them in the pan and add in the marinara sauce that you prepared earlier. Stir to incorporate first, and then add in the cup of heavy cream. Stir again. The creamy pasta sauce will need to simmer on medium low for about 10 minutes and this is a perfect time to cook the pasta. -Cook the penne pasta according to the box for al dente. The pasta will be ready right as the sauce thickens up. -Once pasta and sauce are ready, drain the pasta and add directly into the sauce pot. Do not rinse the pasta! Add back in the shrimp and andouille sausage and stir everything to incorporate with the heat still on medium low. -At the very last minute, add in the chopped green onions and stir again. -Serve and enjoy!