Cajun Shrimp Pasta

I have mentioned my beautiful, talented friend, Nicole from Daily Dish Recipes before. She was truly my inspiration to start cooking real family meals. She has the best original ideas with a wide variety of ingredients that I can relate to. That I think all of us can relate to and appreciate. She's a wife, mother, author, foodie, friend, blogger and superhero. No, really, she is. 


I rarely make any changes to Nicole's creations. Down to the last pinch of salt, they are perfect. However, Nicole LOVES creamy sauces. The creamier, the better. I do not. As always, I am in the minority here. I like my pasta dry. I am not a creamy kind of girl. Does that make me crunchy then?


There is a very simple solution to the creamy part of this recipe. If you like creamy, follow the recipe below. If you do not, see my note below. The result is that the sauce sticks to the rigatoni, keeping all the flavor of the recipe but leaving out the excess creaminess.  With this one small change, this pasta is now very close to the best pasta/shrimp combination ever!


Ingredients:
1/2 lb. shrimp
4 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 TBLS. unsalted butter
4 TBLS. butter
1 TBLS. olive oil
8 oz. Rigatoni
3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
grated Parmesan


In a bowl, toss Cajun seasoning and shrimp. Make sure the shrimp is well coated, then set aside.


Heat both butters and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Heat until the butter stops foaming and just starts to turn a brownish color. Add seasoned shrimp and heat 5 -8 minutes or until shrimp is firm. 


While the shrimp is sauteing, cook Rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.


When shrimp is firm, reduce heat to medium low. Add whipping cream and heat through. Stir frequently. 


NOTE: if you are weird like me (high five!), at this point when the shrimp is heated through, drain the excess sauce, leaving just a enough to lightly coat the Rigatoni.


Pour the shrimp mixture over the Rigatoni, stirring to evenly coat. 


Taste and add extra Cajun seasoning if you like. Sprinkle with desired amount of Parmesan.


Perfection!