One Pot Crawfish and Shrimp Creole Pasta ****

This one was basically inspired by what we were craving tonight, lol.  It was such a winner, though.  I'm so ridiculously far behind on my postings, but I wanted to hurry and get this one down before I forgot how I did it.  We all know how that can be!  I love that it only uses the one soup pot on the stove, though, and even the noodles cook right in there.  It's super easy.  Plus, everything starts from frozen, meaning that it's easy to throw together at the last minute (which is where a lot of the inspiration came from tonight - ha!).  The kids are on Spring Break this week, and they're already asking if they can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

ONE POT CRAWFISH AND SHRIMP CREOLE PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 package frozen crawfish tails
1 package frozen extra small shrimp (precooked and deveined)
1 package frozen fajita blend peppers and onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
16 oz box angelhair pasta
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp Creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere's)

Pour olive oil into the pot. Add frozen crawfish, shrimp, and peppers and onions.  Sprinkle with Creole seasoning. Cover and cook on medium heat until veggies are tender and everything is well-thawed, adding mushrooms and garlic about halfway through (about 10 minutes total).
Remove lid and let some of the liquid cook out, stirring occasionally to keep everything cooking evenly.
Add the dry pasta to the pot.  Pour in the chicken broth, cream, and Parmesan. Stir until everything is well-combined.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, keep covered and bring the heat down to a simmer for 10 minutes (stirring every couple of minutes).
If it's still soupy at the end (mine wasn't), you can either continue cooking, to cook out some more of the liquid, or you can add a bit of cornstarch to thicken it up.

Crawfish Tortellini ***

So my original plan for the crawfish had been to sub them in another recipe (One-Pot Cajun Pasta).  Well, long story short, I apparently tore a ligament in my foot on vacation, and I'm in a boot this week.  I decided I needed something quick and easy instead.  Since most of the ingredients were the same, I just hit the store on the way home from work and grabbed some tortellini so that I could throw this one together.  It.was.perfect.  As usual.

The original recipe tells you to cook this in an oven at 350 for 45 minutes.  That seems silly to me, so I've always done it stovetop.  It comes out as pure perfection.  The kids and the hubby oohed and ahhed over it excessively, just as they always do.  Now I'm seriously thinking it about having it again this week. :-)

CRAWFISH TORTELLINI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

1 lb frozen crawfish tails, thawed
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 cups (1 1/2 pints) whipping cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons parsley
1 large package tortellini noodles

Cook tortellini in pot as directed.
While noodles are cooking, sauté the crawfish tails in 2 tablespoons butter for about 5 minutes.  Add remaining butter, onion, and garlic, and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, bring sauce to a boil, and pour into pot with drained tortellini.  Bring to a boil again.  Turn down and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so - just enough to thicken the sauce.

Previous posts:
8/10/11 ~ We've had this recipe before, and the kids loved it.  They think that crawdads are just about the coolest animals we can eat, but I rarely make any recipes with them.  This was a hit as usual.  As last time, I made it on the stovetop (still waiting for the new oven to be delivered - boo!), but it was as delicious as always.  We were on vacation all last week, and with all of the running around we had to do yesterday to get ready for the upcoming work week, we haven't eaten a homecooked meal in what feels like ages.  This was perfect.  I hated that it heated up the house, of course, but it was quick to prepare.  That was the main thing.  I wimped out and just served it with corn, but it was divine nonetheless.  I ran out of parsley, so I just used oregano in its place.  It worked perfectly.

Salmon-Lentil Patties ***

This was much better than I anticipated it would be.  The entire family loved it.  The only thing keeping me from making it a 4-star meal is the lengthy process involved.  I was afraid this one would be a little too "out there" for my meat-and-potatoes hubby, but he was just as in love with this thing as I was.  Even the kids went on and on about how amazing it was.  The only change I made was that I used chili powder in place of the cayenne, just because I couldn't seem to locate my cayenne in the spice cabinet.  I'd definitely go that route again, though, because the chili powder really added to the flavor, in my opinion.

SALMON-LENTIL PATTIES
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ SkinnyMS)

1 (8 ounce) Wild Alaskan Salmon fillet, or 1 (14 ounce) can salmon, well drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cooked lentils, drained well
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 finely diced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup whole wheat Panko, or whole wheat bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Kosher or sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil

Preheat oven to broil.
If using salmon fillet, line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil, place salmon on cookie sheet, spread olive oil on both sides. Broil on both sides 5-6 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 131 degrees. Allow to cool then remove skin.
Place salmon in a medium mixing bowl and flake using a fork. Add egg, lentils, onion, bell pepper, Panko and spices to salmon, mash either by hand or use a potato masher. Shape salmon into 4 patties. Or, use a large circular cookie cutter, pack and press salmon mixture to form patties.
Add canola oil to a large skillet, turn to medium heat and cook patties on each side for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned.
Serve salmon patties as a main dish or as a burger style sandwich with your favorite condiments.
*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I used chili powder in place of the cayenne pepper. Yum!

One Pot Shrimp Parmesan Pasta ***

The original recipe was just for 4 servings, so the updates below are to make 6 servings.  For the original amounts, make sure to follow the link to Damn Delicious.

This was really good.  The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the fact that cooking the shrimp directly in the sauce gives the sauce more of a "fishy" taste than I like.  I think I would prefer to cook the shrimp separately and just add it at the end.  I know that it would defeat the "One Pot" portion of the title, but I really do think it would be better for my own personal tastes.  Other than that, no complaints.  The flavor was great.  We all loved it.  It didn't necessarily "wow" any of us, but it was a nice to change to our regular meals.

ONE POT SHRIMP PARMESAN PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ DamnDelicious ~ with Amy's updates for 6 servings)

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 onion, diced
32 ounces Ragu Traditional Sauce
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
15 ounces uncooked fettuccine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups baby spinach
1/4-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion to the skillet, and cook, stirring often, until onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in Ragú, chicken broth, red pepper flakes and fettuccine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 18-20 minutes.
Stir in shrimp and spinach until the spinach begins to wilt and the shrimp is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.
Serve immediately.

Shrimp and Spinach Alfredo with Angelhair Pasta ***

I don't know how, but I had completely forgotten about this recipe.  I love, love, love it.  Two of my favorite things are spinach and shrimp, so this is a pretty easy win for me.  The kids actually request leftovers when I make this one, which is really, really rare around our house, lol. 

SHRIMP AND SPINACH ALFREDO WITH ANGELHAIR PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 lbs extra large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
26 oz jarred alfredo sauce
12 oz whole-grain angelhair pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
12 oz frozen cut leaf spinach
6 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup diced onions
Garlic powder, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, if desired

Cook noodles in soup pot as directed on package.  Drain.
While noodles are cooking, remove tails from shrimp if necessary and chop into 2-4 pieces per shrimp.  Heat oil in saucepan on medium heat.  Add shrimp to pan.  Season with pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Saute 4-5 minutes, until all shrimp are pink.  Remove from heat.
While noodles are draining in colander, heat spinach with water in soup pot.  Add mushrooms and onions.  Saute until all spinach is thawed and most water has cooked out, about 5 minutes.  Add shrimp and alfredo sauce and heat through.  Mix in the noodles, and serve immediately.  Sprinkle servings with grated Parmesan if desired.
Yield: 8 servings

Previous reviews:
5/29/12 ~ I had lots of thawed raw shrimp to use up, and since I got off work so late, I didn't have time to do anything fancy like I had planned.  I came up with this based on what I had in the pantry, and we loved it.  Such a shocker for me.  Well, not so much on my end, since anything with shrimp, alfredo sauce, and spinach is bound to be divine, but I was shocked that the kids loved it as much as I did.  My 8-year-old has already requested that we have it again tomorrow.  For kids who never want the same meal (or leftovers) two nights in a row, this is a huge deal.  As written, the recipe makes about 8-10 servings.  That gives us enough for two nights.  You could easily half it, though.  I'm actually looking forward to seeing how it is after sitting in the fridge and soaking up the flavors overnight.  I do want to make a homemade alfredo sauce next time, but this worked for now.  :)

Salmon Patties ****

This was the third time I've made this recipe, and just like the other times, we loved it!  I got requests for thirds from my youngest, who is an extremely picky eater, so that's pretty amazing.  I made a few changes this time, though.  This time, I cut back to a sleeve and a half of crackers (I originally used 2 sleeves).  I did cut back the salt to about 1/4 tsp this time.  With the salted crackers, it's really not that necessary.  I also used fat free Saltines instead of regular.  They don't mush up as well as the others, but the flavor stayed the same.   I did have to add back a little of the salmon juice this time, to make them stick better.  They were so yummy, though.  My mom always served salmon patties with fried potatoes growing up, so that's what we have with them too.  It's kind of a comfort factor for me.  :)

SALMON PATTIES
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 (15 ½ ounce) cans salmon
1 ½ sleeves saltine crackers
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4-6 tablespoons onions, chopped
oil, for frying

Drain liquid from salmon.
Remove large bones, skin, and dark brown spots from salmon.
Gently break up salmon and set aside.
Crush sleeves of crackers into crumbs, and add to salmon.
Stir in egg, onions, salt, and pepper.
Roll salmon into balls and squash into patties.
Brown in hot oil a few minutes on each side until golden.

* Reserve some liquid from the salmon if the patties are too dry to hold together, add 1-2 teaspoons.

Penne a la Betsy ****

This is delicious. Somehow, though, when I copied the recipe from the Babycenter website, it was missing the last two paragraphs and went straight to the yields. I managed to bluff my way through the end, though. I've gone back and copied it directly from the PW website for this post. I made just a few changes. I used about a pound and a half of medium shrimp, broth in place of the wine, dried basil, dried minced garlic, dried parsley, freeze-dried onions, and whole wheat penne. It was still fairly soupy at the end, so I added about a half a cup of fresh shredded parmesan to the sauce. It was really good. My 6-year-old actually asked if we could have it again tomorrow night. :)

PENNE A LA BETSY
(Tattoedmomma - The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

¾ pounds Penne Pasta
1 pound Shrimp
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
½ cups White Wine (or To Taste)
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Parsley, to taste
Fresh Basil - To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.
Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).
Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.
Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus ***

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups sliced asparagus
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oil in saute pan, add asparagus, garlic, and spices, cook for 5 minutes add shrimp, cook until shrimp turns pink.
Stir in wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil, remove from heat and serve.
*Amy's notes: I used no-sugar-added apple juice in place of the white wine and will do that from now on.