This Cajun shrimp and sausage pasta bake is fast to assemble featuring andouille sausage and shrimp in a creamy Cajun Alfredo sauce.
Ingredients
10 ounces penne pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 ounces andouille sausage, quartered
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
4 ounces garlic and herb spreadable cheese, such as alouette® garlic and herbs soft spreadable cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Step by step
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in sausage and shrimp. Turn off heat; the residual heat will cook the shrimp and warm the sausage. Remove skillet from heat after a few minutes.
Stir penne into boiling water and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half of pasta to the skillet. Transfer remaining pasta to prepared casserole. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat and whisk in flour. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in milk, half and half, and reserved pasta water until sauce is smooth and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and allow it to melt, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Pour half of sauce over pasta in the casserole. Transfer sausage mixture to the casserole, and use a spoon to gently blend all ingredients. Pour remaining sauce over pasta mixture. Cover casserole with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.
