Cajun Shrimp and Conchiglie

I'm a huge fan of Cajun cooking, especially a big smokin' pot of jambalaya. Unfortunately for me, it's not Jesse's favorite. I made this sneaky dish the other night while I was craving something Cajun and to my surprise, J loved it! This dish is a bit spicy for littles, especially Ryder (15 months), so I modified a little side plate for my little man. 

Cajun Shrimp and Conchiglie {shells}

Ingredients 

- 2 cups uncooked Conchiglie (shells). Substitute with fusilli or penne

- 1 tbsp. butter & 1 tbsp. olive oil (butter for the flavor, olive oil for the high cooking temp.)

-1 shallot, chopped

- at lest 3 cloves garlic, chopped (I LOVE me some garlic, so I used more like 5)

- 1/4 cup chopped green onion

- 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (see recipe below, or you can use store bought- just be weary of sodium)

- 1 cup white wine or chicken broth

- 1 cup diced plum tomatoes

- 1 pound bag frozen medium shrimp (peeled and devained). You can use fresh if you want to be an over-achiever.

- at least two big handfuls of baby spinach (remember, spinach cooks down). If you've got a hubby like mine who isn't a fan of spinach- This recipe hides compliments it well. Throw in as much as you can!

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to box directions

2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil and butter, throw in the onion, shallots and garlic. Add Cajun seasoning and cook at least 2 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, chicken broth or wine, bring to a simmer

4. Add spinach and shrimp and cook until shrimp is no longer opaque. (here's wear I simply grabbed a little pan, heated a little bit of olive oil and added some spinach.)

5. Add cooked Conchiglie and stir to combine. (add some cooked pasta to your spinach on the side)

Cajun Seasoning

Ingredients

- 1 tablespoon dried oregano

- 1tablespoon onion powder

- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (add more if you like it spicy)- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

- salt to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a plastic baggie and shake to combine. 

Enjoy!

B