Cajun Pasta

One of my many passions is cooking. This does not mean that I am great at it! But it does mean that I love trying new recipes. I like to see which ones work for me and then add my own flare and flavor in the mix. I really love taking recipes and substituting different things in order to make them have a healthy twist! With that being said, I plan to share some recipes on this blog. Some will be healthy, but some will also be sweet. I mean who doesn’t love a good cookie skillet every now and then. Make sure to share with me how your dishes turn out if you try a recipe! Or if you have any suggestions on substituting ingredients for healthier ones, I’d love to hear them!

Like I said above, I love trying to make delicious dishes a tad bit healthier by substituting a few ingredients for better options. Now, this does't mean that I'm going to leave out all of the good stuff but I am going to to choose healthier options where I can. I’m also really into Cajun food. I’ve embraced the Cajun techniques with full force lately. The flavor is phenomenal and I’m always up for some spice. Last weekend I made this Cajun pasta dish. Pasta is not exactly healthy so I started researching what I could use to not make me feel as bad about eating a bowl full of carbs. I started with the pasta. I’m trying to cut back on gluten (basically because my face hates it) so I found some gluten free pasta at the grocery store. Most grocery stores have a gluten free section, but you can usually find gluten free pasta in the pasta section. That’s where I found mine. It honestly tastes just like regular pasta! You could also use whole wheat pasta if you can’t find gluten free. My next substitution was turkey kielbasa sausage. I substitute ground meat and sausage all the time with turkey meat. It’s a simple way to make you feel better about what your eating. I also sautéed my vegetables in olive oil instead of butter. There are even better options than olive oil such as avocado oil, but I already had this at the house. I cook this pasta in a big cast iron skillet. I learned how to clean and use cast iron utensils and I will never go back! I mean seriously, everything tastes so much better! If you haven’t ever used one or are scared just try it. You can usually get one for under $20.00. Research how to use and clean it. If I can do it, I promise you can! It is totally worth it!

This recipe is great for meal prepping! It doesn’t take long, and it taste just as good heated up the next day. The flavor really sets in over-night! This recipe is also super flexible. Some of the vegetables can be left out and you can use chicken instead of shrimp and sausage. Feel free to add your own ingredients and spices. Leave me a comment if you try this recipe! I’d love to hear your opinion…good or bad!

Happy Friyay friends!

Ingredients:

¼ cup celery

¼ cup bell pepper

½ of a yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/8 cup of green onions

¼ cup of petite diced tomatoes

1 package of gluten free pasta

8 oz heavy whipping cream

2 Table spoons of Cajun seasoning

2 Table spoons of flour

1 Table spoon of olive oil

12 oz of thawed peeled and deveined shrimp (not cooked)

1 package of turkey kielbasa sausage

Assembly:

All good cajun recipes call for the trinity!

• Cook pasta according to package directions
• Mix 1 Table spoon of Cajun seasoning with your shrimp and set it to the side
• Finely chop your ¼ cup of celery, ½ of a yellow onion, ¼ cup of bell pepper and 2 cloves of garlic.
• Place your chopped vegetables and 1Tbl spoon of olive oil in a large pan and sauté’ on medium heat until the onion is translucent stirring occasionally. (3-4 minutes)'

• While your vegetables are sautéing, cut your sausage into ½ inch pieces.
• When the onion is starting to turn translucent place your tomatoes and sausage in the skillet and cook until the sausage starts to brown on both sides. (2-3 minutes)
• When the sausage is almost done place the shrimp in the skillet and cook until the shrimp is almost pink. (1-2 minutes)

• When the shrimp is almost pink, sprinkle 2 Tbl spoons of flour over the whole pan and stir.
• Let the flour cook for 1 minute while stirring occasionally. Make sure you are paying close attention because you do not want to burn the flour.
• Pour in the 8 oz of heavy whipping cream and stir frequently. You want to get all the flour on the bottom and sides of the pan mixed in.

Your mixture should start to look like a slurry.

• Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring.
• Let the mixture boil for 1-2 minutes while stirring frequently.
• Bring the mixture down to a simmer and it should start to thicken.
• Once thick, mix in the pasta and 1 Table spoon of Cajun seasoning.
• Top with green onions
• Enjoy!