Prawn Pasta with Spicy Garlic Cream Sauce

When I need a quick yet gourmet lunch, then this is my go-to recipe. I love prawns and garlic so pasta with both of those things AND cream? What’s not to like right? This recipe is full of flavour, easy to make and ready in just a few minutes. Here is what you will need:

Prawn Pasta Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Penne Pasta, you can use any other type of pasta. The reason I use penne is because they hold the flavour on the inside and outside.
• 1 ⅔ Cups King Prawns
• 4 cloves Garlic, if you are not a big garlic fan go with two cloves, I often add 5 or even 6 cloves of garlic.
• 1 medium Onion diced, this works with both yellow of red onions, the later gives the dish a sweeter taste.
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Oregano, if you have fresh oregano, chop some up and add it instead.
• 1 ½ tsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Salt, one teaspoon works for me but for some it might not be enough. I rather add one and let everyone add more salt if they want to.
• ½ tsp Pepper
• ⅔ Cup Parmesan
• 5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How its done:

Step 1: Boil the Pasta

Cook your pasta according to the instructions of the pasta brand, for my local brand I use water with added salt and cook the pasta for 6-8 minutes. This can of course change according to the portion size. Most pasta brands give you exact times and instructions for the best result.

Once the pasta has been cooked, add a little (1-2 Tbsp) butter and stir it in so they don’t stick together.

Step 2: Prepare the Sauce

Finely chop the onions, add the olive oil to a heave sauce pan and bring to a medium heat. Now add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the heavy cream and parmesan and stir until combined. Add the Paprika, Thyme and Oregano and Salt to taste, stir for another minute or two.

Add the prawns and stir for a minute, then fry the prawns for 3-4 minutes on each side. Prawns cook quickly so don’t over cook.

Step 3: Mix and Serve

Add the cooked pasta, stir for a minute or two and take of the heat. Platter and serve with a bit of chopped colander.

Prawn Pasta Recipe – Tips & Tricks

This recipe is super easy so you won’t need many tips & tricks, here are the most important ones

• Don’t overcook the prawns, prawns are done fairly quickly and we can be tempted to cook them for longer because we are not sure if they are done or not. Prawns don’t need more than 3-5 minutes over medium heat or until they are pink.
• Use the same frying pan and don’t wash it between the different processes, it will transfer the flavour between all ingredient.

Which Pasta works best?

This recipe works well with any type of pasta, personally I prefer it with Penne or Fusilli as they grab extra flavour with their contours. However, I have made this with spaghetti. Because I didn’t have either Fusilli or Penne at home and it worked out great.

Prawns or Shrimps?

When it comes to cooking prawns and shrimps are almost the same. In my region shrimps are pretty small and when cooked, they become even smaller. So you need to use a larger amount when cooking with shrimps.