Creamy Peri-Peri Prawn Pasta

Juicy prawns in a creamy peri peri sauce makes this creamy prawn pasta simply irresistible. Spicy, aromatic and delicious!

Ingredients

This prawn pasta dish uses simple ingredients and is easy to make. The peri peri sauce can be made a few days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

• Cherry tomatoes. Use any tomatoes or canned chopped tomatoes if preferred.
• Red bell peppers. 
• Red onion.
• Garlic.
• Red chillies. I used bird’s eye chillies. You can control the level of heat in the finished sauce by de-seeding the chillies or using less.
• Fresh thyme. 
• Olive oil or butter.
• Cream.
• Prawns/shrimp. Use large deveined prawns/shrimp.
• Smoked paprika. 
• Oregano.
• Salt and black pepper.
• Lemon juice. 
• Pasta. I used spaghetti but linguine, fettuccine, tagliatelle or short pasta will also work.
• Fresh basil, to serve.

How to make peri peri prawn pasta

1. Make the peri peri sauce: Combine the cherry tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic cloves, chillies and thyme on a sheetpan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and allow to roast for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelize. Remove from the oven then transfer to a blender. Pour in the cream and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and season to taste. Simmer gently while you cook the prawns/shrimp and pasta.
2. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta.
3. Cook the prawns: Place the prawns in a medium bowl then add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season with smoked paprika, oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Heat a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prawns and sauté for 2 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the prawns to the sauce and stir to combine.
4. Combine: Toss the drained pasta with the sauce and prawns. Add a splash of the pasta cooking water. Serve immediately garnished with basil or chopped parsley.

Prawn pasta recipes

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3. Creamy lemon garlic shrimp pasta

Creamy Peri-Peri Prawn Pasta

This prawn pasta in creamy peri peri sauce is spicy, aromatic and delicious. A fantastic easy dinner recipe.

4.50 from 2 votes

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Portuguese, South African

Keyword: Peri-peri prawn pasta, prawn pasta, prawn pasta recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 582kcal

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

For the creamy peri-peri sauce

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 2 red bell peppers roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2-3 red chillies depending on how hot you like it
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 cup cream

For the prawns/shrimp

• 500 g (1lb) prawns/shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt

For the pasta

• 500 g (1lb) pasta
• fresh basil to serve

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
• Combine the cherry tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic cloves, chillies and thyme on a sheetpan.
• Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place in the oven and allow to roast for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelize.
• Remove from the oven then transfer to a blender.
• Pour in the cream and blend until smooth.
• Pour the sauce into a saucepan and season to taste. Simmer gently while you cook the prawns/shrimp and pasta.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente.
• Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta. 
• Place the prawns in a medium bowl then add a few tablespoons of olive oil.
• Season with smoked paprika, oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
• Heat a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the prawns and sauté for 2 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
• Transfer the prawns to the sauce and stir to combine.
• Toss the drained pasta with the sauce and prawns.
• Add a splash of the pasta cooking water.
• Serve immediately garnished with basil or chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 201mg | Sodium: 1389mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2631IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg