The Perfect Pasta for Fat Tuesday
When you think about Mardi Gras, you may think about the world-famous New Orleans parade, beads and masks. Personally, I think of scrumptious Cajun cooking! Over the past several years, I’ve enhanced this recipe by adding a little bit of this and that from Hiland Dairy to make one amazing creamy pasta dish. Get ready to dig in, Divas!
Creamy Cajun Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
- 3 Italian sausage links, casing removed and sliced
- 15 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Hiland Dairy Butter
- 1 cup Hiland Dairy Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 cup Hiland Dairy 2% Milk
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound linguine pasta
- Parsley, chopped
- Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions:
In a bowl, coat the chicken with 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning.
In a separate bowl, do the same with the shrimp and the other teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. Set aside. In a large pot, boil water and add linguine. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté chicken and sausage until cooked through (about 5 to 7 minutes).
Add bell pepper and shrimp.
Sauté until shrimp is pink and no longer translucent, and peppers are crisp yet tender (about 3 minutes). Add heavy cream, milk, diced tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Once linguine is cooked per directions on the box, drain it and gradually add the noodles to the cream mixture.
Toss until completely coated. Top each serving with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Diva’s Tip
If you want more heat, substitute the can of diced tomatoes with a jar of your favorite chunky hot salsa.
~The Dairy Diva
