Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Quick, simple to make and delicious. Now that's my recipe for a weeknight dinner. I loved the red pepper and mushrooms in this dish. Along with the shrimp, sauce and seasonings. It all tasted so good together. I made some broccoli to go with it (can't ever have too many vegetables) but it really is a full meal by itself.

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Recipe from Cooking Light

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces uncooked linguine (I used half a pound)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 large red bell pepper, cut into (1/4-inch-thick) slices
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (see note at bottom regarding making your own blend)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation
Combine 1 cup water and broth in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Break pasta in half; add to pan. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes. Add shrimp to pan. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until shrimp are done; drain.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Add flour, seasoning, and salt to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in half-and-half; cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add pasta mixture and parsley to pan; toss.

Making the sauce is simple and it only takes a few minutes



Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: For the Cajun seasoning, I used a blend I found on Prudence Pennywise's site. I keep it in a container and it's great on grilled chicken breasts, oven fries or anytime you want to spice up a dish. Here is the recipe for your own Cajun spice blend: combine 4 teaspoons each salt and paprika, 3 teaspoons each garlic powder, onion powder and pepper, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons each cayenne, thyme and oregano.