Cajun Crawfish & Sausage Pasta

Serves: 6 | Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound peeled CajunCrawfish Louisiana crawfish tailmeat, thawed
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 12 ounces smoked andouille sausage, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Boil penne according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
2. Brown the sausage. In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, cook the andouille for 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Sauté the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, onion, and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook for 5–6 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, Cajun seasoning, and paprika; cook for 30 seconds.
4. Make the sauce. Add broth, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in cream and simmer gently for 4–5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in Parmesan until smooth.
5. Add the crawfish. Return sausage to the skillet and add the crawfish. If using cooked tailmeat, simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, until heated through.
6. Toss and serve. Add pasta and toss to coat. Use a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Taste before adding salt or more seasoning. Finish with green onions and parsley.

Serve with warm French bread.