Easy Chorizo And Shrimp Pasta

This chorizo and shrimp pasta combines two worlds, the spicy meaty sausage and the sweet taste of cooked shrimps. I’m using a little bit of cream cheese to make the pasta creamier and a few spices to enhance the flavors. It’s a great mid-week meal as it doesn’t take much time to prepare and cooks really fast. You just need to juggle boiling the pasta and making the chorizo & shrimp at the same time.

If you are looking for more pasta dishes to squeeze into your mid-week plan, check out my baked cannelloni with spinach and feta cheese recipe and my Mediterranean octopus pasta in tomato sauce.

Why you should try my recipe

• Delicious pasta dish that everyone will enjoy.
• Ready in just 30 minutes.
• Easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients & How-to

For this chorizo and shrimp pasta dish we are going to use one chorizo sausage, shrimps, pasta, half an onion, garlic cloves, cream cheese, olive oil, a bell pepper, ground nutmeg, sweet paprika, crushed pepper flakes or chilli flakes, salt & pepper. For full quantities check the recipe card down below. So let’s get started.

01. I start with preparing the vegetables. I dice the onion, chop the garlic cloves and cut the pepper into slices. I’m using a red pepper as it has a milder taste to green pepper but you are free to use whichever one you like. You could also use a couple of sweet mini peppers.

02. Moving to the pan, I turn the heat to medium high and when my pan gets hot, I add 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. I add the shrimps or prawns and saute for a couple of minutes on each side. I’m using raw shrimps without the skin. You will notice that after a few minutes on each side, they turn pink. Then, I remove them using the tongs and set them aside for later on.

In the meantime I place a pot filled with water and a tablespoon of salt over the heat to get it ready for boiling the pasta.

03. I add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil and add the chopped onion to the pan. I saute the onion for 3-4 minutes until it’s soft and translucent. When the onion is ready, I add garlic, chorizo and pepper slices and cook them for 7-8 minutes. More oil and fat will come out as the chorizo is being cooked, so there is no need to add any water at this point.

04. By now, the water for pasta has started to boil and it’s time to add the pasta in. You could use any short pasta you like. I’m usually making this chorizo and shrimp pasta dish with fusilli or gemelli or farfalle pasta. I’m cooking the pasta al dente as we are going to cook it a couple more minutes in the pan with the chorizo and shrimps.

05. I add the spices to the pot with the chorizo and peppers, the sweet paprika, nutmeg, crushed pepper flakes, salt and pepper. You could also use chili flakes but I wouldn’t add too much as the chorizo is already spicy.

06. Now it’s time to add the sauteed shrimps back to the pan to combine all the flavors. I also add the cream cheese and half a cup from the boiling pasta water. I give it all a stir until it’s all combined and leave it cook for 4-5 minutes in medium heat.

07. The pasta should be ready by now. I reserve a little bit from the pasta water and then I add the pasta to pan with the shrimps and chorizo. I carefully combine everything with my spatula for a minute making sure that the pasta is coated with the sauce.

08. If needed you could add a little from the reserved pasta water, like a quarter of a cup. I leave the pasta for a minute to cook in the sauce while stiring and now our chorizo and shrimp pasta is ready to be served.

Tips

• Shrimps (prawns) cook fast and if overcooked become hard and chewy. Saute only for a couple of minutes on each side until pink and add them back to the pan towards the end.
• The chorizo is already spicy so you could leave the crushed pepper flakes out for a milder taste.
• Keep a little bit of the pasta water aside before draining the pasta.
• Cook the pasta al dente, as it will continue to cook in the pan with the sauce.

Substitutions

• You could substitute the cream cheese with half a cup of half-and-half (single) cream.
• You could use any short pasta that you have at home, like macaroni, fusilli, farfalle etc.
• Instead of a bell pepper, you could use 2-3 sweet mini peppers.
• Instead of shrimps, you could use raw prawns.

Serving suggestions

I like to serve this chorizo and shrimp pasta dish with some chopped fresh basil on top and some grated parmesan cheese. The basil is quite refreshing and compliments the spicy chorizo flavor. If you would like to pair this pasta dish with a salad, I recommend something simple like a Greek salad or my pomegranate, greens and goats cheese salad.

Storage

If you have any leftovers of the chorizo and shrimp pasta, you could store it in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days. Add a couple of tablespoons of milk and make sure it’s thoroughly warmed up before serving to enjoy the most.

FAQ

• What type of pasta can I use for the chorizo and shrimp pasta dish? For this chorizo and shirmp pasta dish, it’s better to use short pasta as it’s easier to fork some pasta and chorizo or pasta and shrimp at the same time compared to long pasta like spaghetti. You could use rotini, fusilli, farfalle pasta or other pasta types with similar shape and size.

• What goes well with chorizo and shrimp pasta? Chorizo and shrimp pasta has a lightly spicy taste so I would recommend something refresh with it like a simple tomato and mozzarella salad or a Greek salad.