Serves 4
15 min
Pasta with Cajun Cream Sauce
Recipe GLPRdba3be9077dd2e
Silky, bold pasta dish featuring a rich cream sauce infused with Cajun and Creole spices. Sautéed onions and garlic are combined with white wine, tomato paste, and heavy cream, creating a luxurious sauce that perfectly coats tender pasta. Finished with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese for a restaurant-quality meal in just 15 minutes.
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Ingredients
1 pound dry pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon chicken base or chicken bouillon (optional)
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pint heavy cream (2 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese for serving
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil for the pasta. In a separate large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the chopped onion and cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.
Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for 1 additional minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
If using chicken bouillon, dissolve it in the white wine and stir well before adding. Pour the white wine into the pan and use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing). These flavorful bits add depth to the sauce.
Allow the wine to reduce by half, about 3 minutes. While the wine is reducing, cook the pasta in the boiling salted water until just 1 minute shy of the package's recommended cooking time—the pasta should remain slightly firm as it will continue cooking in the sauce.
Stir the Cajun or Creole seasoning, salt, ground pepper, paprika, and tomato paste into the reduced wine. Mix thoroughly until the tomato paste is fully incorporated and there are no lumps.
Pour the heavy cream into the pan and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to just below a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low to prevent the cream from breaking or separating.
Allow the cream sauce to gently simmer and reduce to approximately half its volume, about 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken and deepen in flavor as it reduces.
Drain the pasta thoroughly and transfer it to the cream sauce. Gently toss until every strand is coated. Top with the fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately with grated Parmesan cheese on the side.
