Quick and easy Cajun spaghetti comes together in less than 30 minutes. Andouille sausage, shrimp, and the holy trinity in a spicy tomato sauce served over spaghetti is the perfect meal to spice up your weeknight.

Guys! I’m back! My second cookbook manuscript is turned in, I got to leave the house without kids for a whole afternoon and I could not be more ready to tackle the week.

It’s the last week before Christmas and I have got a lot planned for you blog dwellers. starting with a quick and easy dinner, which many of you requested when I asked for winter content suggestions on Instagram. Cajun spices, andouille sausage and shrimp over pasta. It will warm you up on a cold winter night, for sure!

You know how I know this is a dang good recipe?

Because somebody near and dear to me was so in love with it they may or may not have eaten a shrimp exoskeleton and just kept eating.

THAT”S RIGHT! MIKE ATE AN EXOSKELETON!!!!!

I got a text from him at work saying he was nervous because he just ate the peel of a shrimp. I did initially feel bad for him because, if you are eating at work, with coworkers and discover an unpeeled shrimp in your mouth, it’s not like you can spit it out, right?

Mike also did not realize until a day or two ago that he also ate the legs. He was very concerned about the damages these legs could cause to his internal system. Yes. He was serious.

And, yes I laughed until I cried when he was telling me all this.

Being the supportive wife that I am, I went on to tell him how he would be the next story on I Survived. Most people go on the show after surviving horrific events, but Mike would be on the show talking about the exoskeleton incident.

I will be laughing about this for weeks.

From now on I will remember to peel the shell off of the shrimp after taking my pretty pictures for the blog. Even though, if I leave them on, it does lead to a funnier blog story.

Cajun Spaghetti

Yield: serves 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Sausage, shrimp, and the holy trinity in a spicy tomato sauce served over spaghetti.

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Ingredients

• 16oz spaghetti noodles
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1, 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
2. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium flame for 2 minutes. Add oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add the pepper, onion, and celery. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the sausage to the pan. Cook until lightly browned on each side, about 4 minutes.
4. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to packagings instructions. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid before draining. When the pasta is done drain in a colander.
5. add garlic, paprika, onion powder, pepper, cayenne, thyme, and salt. Mix to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Reduce the heat to low. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Scrape up any burnt bits from the bottom of the pan.
7. Mix in the crushed tomatoes, shrimp, and pasta water. Increase heat to medium. Cover with lid and cook for about 5 minutes, until shrimp are no longer opaque.
8. When shrimp is cooked through, remove from heat. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve pasta with the cajun sauce on top.

Notes

If you do not like a very spicy dish, start with 1/4 tsp cayenne. You can always add more if needed.

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