With proper planning and a little prep work, Creamy Creole Shrimp and Pasta is a pretty simple dinner to pull off. My sweet friend, Cheryl, emailed this recipe to me and said it was one of her family's all time favorite dinners. I changed it up just a bit to match what I had on hand. At first, I worried the kiddos would find it too spicy, so I chose a can of MILD diced tomatoes with green chilies and left out the Tabasco sauce. That was a good choice. The kids gobbled up their dinners faster than I could photograph my plate and sit down.
I asked my dear friends to taste test this recipe with me. John and Kim frequently travel through Louisiana to visit family and they KNOW good Cajun and Creole food. They found this to be an excellent dinner! Kim recognized right away it did not have the heavy cream sauce or spicy heat traditional in Creole cooking, but she truly preferred the lighter sauce. As for the spicy heat, next time I'll set the Tabasco bottle on the table and let the grown ups dash to their heart's content.
HERE'S WHAT IT TAKES
- 1 (8 oz) package linguine
- 1/2 cup or 1 stick salted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with Mild green chilies, drained
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (2 lb.) bag frozen shrimp, medium size, peeled/deveined, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups Half-n-half
- a few dashes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
- fresh chopped parsley, garnish
PREP
Wash and chop all the vegetables, place in a medium bowl and set aside. Make sure to have shrimp thawed, peeled and deveined; set aside and ready.
Heat chicken broth in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes in a 2 cup container. Then, add the drained diced tomatoes with green chilies, Creole seasoning, dried parsley and pepper. Set aside.
Begin large pot of water to boil to cook linguine according to package directions.
COOK
Melt butter in heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add flour and cook for up to 5 minutes until mixture is a caramel color. Stir frequently.
Add the bowl of finely chopped vegetables, cook 5 to 8 minutes or until soften. Stir frequently.
- - - This is a good time to add linguine to cooking pot of boiling water.
Add hot chicken broth with spices. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in as many dashes of hot sauce as you can muster, if desired.
Stir in shrimp and half-n-half, cook 10 minutes. Inside this time, the pasta should be cooked and ready to drain.
Add drained linguine to creamy shrimp mixture. Stir until pasta is well coated.
Top individual servings with shredded Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley if you like it that much.
Just so you know...
I heated up the chicken broth beforehand to keep the cooking temperature consistent. I didn't have to wait to bring the mixture back up to a simmer before going onto the next step.
I didn't mention it above, but I warmed up the half-n-half, too. I popped it in the microwave for 1 minute, just long enough to knock off the cold. I didn't want it to bring down the temperature when I needed a full 10 minutes of medium heat to cook the shrimp.
My sons coming home next week from college. This sounds like the perfect dinner for him.
Hi Kathleen!
OH! Your son is in college? What year? How do you stand him being away?
I’m not where you are, yet. My Max is nine and he’s growing up too fast for me.
Max loved this dinner, enough to go back for seconds. If your family enjoys spicy food, then add the hot sauce to you liking.
Yum! Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
TERESA!!! How are you? I haven’t heard from you in a while.
Hi! I’m 17, and want to start learning how to cook. My mom doesn’t make dinner a whole lot, so I decided that it’s my turn to start. I really like the idea of this recipe. Just wanted to say thanks for putting out easy dishes for people like me!
Good morning Lexi!
It’s nice to meet you! You’ve made a wise decision taking on the art of cooking. Everyone should know how to cook. They don’t have to be gourmet about it; Knowing how to prepare vegetables, beans, fruits, and grains is all you need for a great start in making healthy, make-your-friends-drool meals.
You won’t have to worry about your waistline when you’re older, if you know how to make great fruit & veggies meals on a daily basis.
If you EVER EVER have a cooking question, email me about it. I would LOVE to help you out. If you need me to ‘show you’ something, I would make a video clip for you in the blink of an eye.
Stay in touch with me!
That sounds awesome! Yeah, yesterday I tried my hand at stuffed salmon and pasta, and it was delicious. I used to hate the time that cooking took, but then i realized that it’s well worth it. Thank you for your help!
I absolutely adore your blog, especially for food like this.Awesome recipe and will keep following it..
Thank you cookeaze!
I’m not a “natural” cook – but I’ve been doing recipes every Sunday since I’ve been married (May 09). This was our favorite
I added a little over a tablespoon of Chipotle sauce, it gave it just enough bite.
Thanks for making the instructions very step by step – people like me really apprecaite it
I look forward to exploring your site!
Peace, love, & rock-n-roll,
Jessica
Sweet! Thank you, Jessica, for your kind words. Wow, it won’t be long before your 1st Anniversary. ;D How cool is that?
You know, I’m not a natural cook either. I have to study recipes, follow them to the “T” until I have figured out what I like and don’t like about it, THEN and only then, will I go off on my own. Occasionally, I come up with something original that I’ve never read about, but we all know there’s nothing new under the sun. Just because I’ve never read it, seen it, or heard about it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
You holler for me anytime you think I can help. I’m always close to my laptop or iPhone.
I tried this recipe and it was great! I love to cook and I try something new at least once a week so this was a great choice. My husband is also from Louisiana so that was a plus.
Good morning Mrs. H!
Thank you for taking the time to write back and let us know about this recipe. It IS GOOD & CREAMY!
My husband is not a fan of seafood. The only time I eat seafood is when he’s not home for dinner. Isn’t that sad? You’re so blessed to have a man from Louisiana. I have folks there in Merryville and De Ridder. Growing up, my Memaw & I traveled there every Spring break and Summer break to relax under the tall pines with her brother’s family. We fished and fished, then we would have a big ol’fish fry outdoors over a camp fire. GREAT MEMORIES!
This sounds and looks wonderful. I wish my family liked shrimp. Someday!
I here ya, Wendy. There’s great food that I love that my family doesn’t. Sometimes, I just have to say “Oh well!” and make what I’m craving to eat. I’ve learned to reduce recipes down to servings of one or two, and let them order out for pizza. I don’t do it all the time, but when I get a craving, well, a woman’s got to do what a woman’s got to do.
What a fantastic recipe. We just had it for supper, and my husband and I had very few leftovers. Will make it again when our kids come up for the weekend….they love seafood, pasta, and HOT…so this is perfect on all points! THANKS!
Oh THANK YOU, Sandra! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it. Be sure and let me know how your kids like it, too.
Have fun today!
Holy cow! This looks so good! I got it in my email today! Another recipe to book mark!
Thanks Jill!
You’re welcome, Jane! I really dig this one, too. I’ve got to learn how to cut this recipe down to make two servings. As is, it’s too much for just little ol’ me to finish.
Hello Jill – I made this dish tonight and it was amazing. I definitely will be cooking this again!
YEAAAAH! I really like this shrimp recipe, too, Kellie. If I could have it my way, I would make it more often. (the hubby & kids don’t love shrimp as I do.)
Hi Jill, This may be a very silly question but I am not a good seafood cooker. I didn’t grow up in a home where seafood was cooked at all so the recipes tend to confuse me. Is it okay to use pre-cooked shrimp in this recipe, just cut down of the cooking time at the end. I have two bags of pre-cooked shrimp in the freezer that I need to do something with and this recipe sounds wonderful!
Hi Jenny!
Using pre-cooked shrimp would work alright. Reduce the cooking time on the cream sauce to 2 minutes or so, just long enough to warm the shrimp and cream through. Go on with the rest of the recipe as directed.
Let me know how it turns out. You may discover a faster way to prepare this dish.
Jill,
Thank you so much for the FANTASTIC recipe! I love trying new recipes and this is my new favorite! Not difficult to make, but my husband and I agreed it was restaurant quality taste. We don’t get out to eat much because we have two little ones so it is great when we can make something just as good. I have gotten many delicious recipes from your site over the last year and all of them have been fabulous so many thanks. Please keep the wonderful recipes coming!
Kate
I made this one last night. It was easy and a great recipe. It is a keeper for me.
Alright, Carla jo! Thank you for letting me know. I love this one, too. If you have any “Keepers” that I don’t know about, please feel free to share them with me thru the contact form. I would love to pass them along to all the homecooks here on SDR, all credit to you of course. ;D