Spicy Shrimp and Smoked Sausage Pasta

Ingredients

• 19 ounces frozen cheese tortellini
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deviened
• 8 ounces smoked sausage, chopped into small cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon louisiana hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions

1. 1

   Cook Tortellini in boiling water just until they start to float. Rinse with cold water. Toss pasta with the teaspoon of olive oil to avoid sticking.

2. 2

   Try to use either andouille or Emeril's kicked up smoked sausage. You want a spicy sausage for this dish.

3. 3

   Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Saute smoked sausage, onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Let cook on Med-high for 3-4 minutes. Add shrimp and let cook another 2 minutes, or until shrimp looks mostly pink.

4. 4

   Add wine, cream, creole seasoning, herbs, hot sauce and fresh black pepper. Turn temp down to Med and let reduce for 3-4 minutes.

5. 5

   Pour sauce over the pasta and toss in the Parmesan cheese.

6. 6

   Serve imediately with french bread and butter. Goes great with a nice salad. I recommend a nice crisp chardonnay wine to go with it.

7. 7

   Sometimes I even add catfish nuggets to this dish. I saute them with the shrimp and sausage. It's pretty good that way too.