As a kid my mom never cooked Alfredo pasta in our house. We used to eat pasta with a bit of olive oil, sliced garlic and feta cheese. So when I tried my first Alfredo pasta, I was completely in love. I mean what isn’t to love with a creamy, garlicky, pasta topped mounds of Parmesan cheese? In this case we add buttery-browned jalapeno slices and shrimp.
This spicy take on a quick Alfredo sauce is a huge hit in our house. We make many versions of pasta with the base sauce [this recipe minus the jalapenos and shrimp]. Sometimes I add roasted garlic and roasted grape tomatoes. Other times I add some crumbled bleu cheese and freshly sliced ribeye steak and caramelized onions. The sauce is really an empty canvas for your favorite flavors! Instead of a classic preparation this recipe uses cream cheese and is made in less that five minutes. It may not be traditional, but it is completely delicious and creamy. Serve this with some delicious garlic bread like this one from Saveur/Carbone’s and you’ve got a really easy yet special dinner.
To get started, we melt 6 tbsp butter in a saucepan with the finely diced jalapeno and garlic. Cook until it starts to just barely brown the jalapenos and garlic.
Add cream cheese and combine with butter mixture.
Slowly whisk in the milk and keep whisking until completely combined and small bubble start forming around the edge of the saucepan.
Mix in the parmesan cheese and black pepper.
In a large frying pan, melt remaining butter and toss in the remaining sliced jalapenos.
Add in the shrimp. I only got to cook a few shrimp because everyone in my house boycotted shrimp in favor of some super garlicky panko crusted chicken, so you’ll have to excuse the pictures of the lonely 3 shrimp.
Cook until the shrimp and jalapenos are browned and cooked through, a couple minutes on each side.
Toss the pasta with the sauce. Top with shrimp.
Spoon on the butter and jalapenos.
Wear stretchy pants the rest of the evening.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter , divided into 6 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons
- 1 large jalapeno , half of it diced finely and the other half in slightly larger slices
- 3 large cloves garlic , finely diced
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
- 2 cups milk (whole preferably, but definitely not fat free or 1%)
- 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 pound shrimp , peeled and de-veined
- 1 pound spaghetti , cooked according to manufacturers specifications
Instructions
- Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a saucepan with the finely diced jalapeno and garlic. Cook until it starts to just barely brown the jalapenos and garlic.
- Add cream cheese and combine with butter mixture.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and keep whisking until completely combined and small bubble start forming around the edge of the saucepan.
- Mix in the parmesan cheese and black pepper
- In a large frying pan, melt remaining butter and toss in the remaining sliced jalapenos.
- Add in the shrimp.
- Cook until the shrimp and jalapenos are browned and cooked through, a couple minutes on each side.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce. Top with shrimp.
- Spoon on the butter and jalapenos.
- Wear stretchy pants the rest of the evening.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is great. I make it fairly often. However, mine always comes out runny, and yours doesn’t look runny at all. Do you have any ideas of what I might be doing wrong?
I’m so glad you enjoy the dish so much. Are your shrimp completely thawed and drained when using? That might be where the extra moisture/liquid is coming from causing the sauce to be runny.
That seems to have been the issue. Thank you!
I love alfredo sauce but rarely make it because no one in my family will eat it! Your recipe is perfectly portioned so that I can make it and have enough for the next day’s lunch, but won’t be eating it for the rest of the week.
Yum! I like easy recipes like this. I bet the cream cheese made it more delicious.
Yup, it is so wrong…but so, so right. haha.