
We’ll never say no to pasta night, but sometimes we want to add a new, fresh flavor to our noodles. Our best suggestion? Crack open a can of chipotle chiles. The smoky, slightly spicy chiles add a fresh flavor to pasta sauce, and are extra delicious when mixed up with some heavy cream (then again, what isn’t improved by cream?), making a dinner easy enough to make for a weeknight, but fancy enough to make for a crowd.
The sauce starts with garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño (for a little extra heat), and garlic. Once that tasty stuff cooks down, in go the chipotle chiles and the smoky adobo sauce they’re canned in, tomato paste, and some starchy pasta cooking water, which helps thicken the sauce. Stir in the cream for the the velvety finish to complete the dish.
To make it a meal, we’re adding some shrimp, which loves a creamy sauce. Penne is the pasta of choice here, but the shape is totally up to you. Farfalle is always fun, but even a standard strand, like spaghetti or linguine, would be great. Open your cabinet and imagine the pastabilities!
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Ingredients
Kosher salt
- 12 oz.
penne pasta
- 1 lb.
large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1
large red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
- 3
scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
- 4
cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1
small jalapeño, seeded, 1/2 chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced
- 2
chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 2 tbsp. sauce
- 2 Tbsp.
tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups
heavy cream
- 1/2 cup
finely grated Parmesan
Directions
- Step 1In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
- Step 2Meanwhile, season shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add shrimp and cook, turning halfway through, until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate.
- Step 3In same skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 3 minutes. Add scallions, garlic, and chopped jalapeño. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Step 4Add reserved pasta water, chiles, adobo sauce, and tomato paste; season with salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring until combined. Slowly stir in cream, then add shrimp, pasta, and Parmesan. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing constantly, until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes more.
- Step 5Divide pasta among plates. Top with more scallions and thinly sliced jalapeño.