(33) Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Oh my heavens, this was good!! This truly took less than 30 minutes to prepare and was so yummy! I have a salt-free creole seasoning blend that I made at some point in the last year (I don't remember when, or why, but it's good!) and I used that. Any salt-free cajun seasoning would work, though. It was adequately spicy, but not on fire. The serving size was very generous and it didn't taste light at all!! My favorite kind of recipe, really!!

My only suggestion is to save a little bit of the pasta water for emergency purposes. I left the pot on a touch too long after adding the half and half and if I had saved the water (which I did not), I could have used a little splash of that in with the cream (or more cream, which defeats the purpose of light!). In any case, it was delish and I will make this again!!

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Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Source: Cooking Light, September 2006
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Shrimp and pasta combine with a creamy sauce for a quick and delicious dish. Round out the meal with a Caesar salad.

1 cup water
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces uncooked linguine
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
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

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.

CALORIES 365 (27% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 5.9g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.8g); IRON 4.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 194mg; CALCIUM 101mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.1g; SODIUM 685mg; PROTEIN 27.4g; FIBER 2.2g