Prawn and Chorizo Pasta

Prawn and chorizo pasta makes a fabulous mid-week meal, loaded with simple and fresh flavours that the whole family will love. With garlic butter prawns, chilli, lemon and fresh parsley, this recipe is completely delicious, easy to throw together and can be ready to eat in 15 minutes! Make it mild or spice it up with as much heat as you like.

This flavourful and fresh pasta makes such a quick and easy mid-week dinner that you can have on the table in no time! And although it is super simple to make, it is also fancy enough to impress your guests at a dinner party!

The secret to the incredible flavour in this recipe is the crispy fried chorizo. When sizzled in a hot pan, it releases a lovely, smoky-spicy and fragrant oil that is utterly delicious! This oil is then used along with butter to cook the other ingredients and cover the pasta. Doing this creates a light coating, without the need for additional sauces, cream or canned tomatoes.

The entire dish can be made in the time that it takes to finish cooking the pasta, with minimal effort and preparation required. Perfect for those busy nights when you are short on time and need an easy dinner recipe with no fuss. Serve it with a simple side salad or some crusty bread for a filling and delicious meal that everyone is sure to love!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quick and easy- Ready in just 15 minutes
• High in protein
• Kid-friendly – keep it mild for a dish that the whole family can enjoy!

What you’ll need

Ingredient notes

• Chorizo – use a good quality, fresh chorizo sausage from a deli where possible. Otherwise, you can find chorizo at most supermarkets.
• Prawns/shrimp – fresh or frozen green (raw) prawns are best here, to avoid over-cooking. Keep the tails on or take them off, depending on your presentation preference! The tails add a nice touch in the finished pasta, but can be fiddly to remove while eating.
• Parmesan cheese – use a fresh block of parmesan cheese and grate it over the top of the pasta when ready to serve. Pre-packaged grated parmesan won’t taste the same and doesn’t melt as nicely.
• Chilli – the chilli flakes in this recipe are optional. They can be left out entirely for a milder dish, or added to suit your taste.

Step by step photos

Add the pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, fry the chorizo in a large pan until browned and crisp. Remove the chorizo and set aside. **Leave the residual chorizo oil in the pan.

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Add the butter, oil and garlic to the pan along with chilli flakes (optional) and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. The prawns and a little salt and pepper and stir fry until the prawns are cooked.

Add the lemon zest, juice and fresh parsley and stir through the drained, cooked pasta and the cooked chorizo. Top with a little extra olive oil, parsley and some freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately with some lemon wedges.

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Handy tips

• The butter and oil create a lovely, light coating for the pasta. But if you prefer a “saucier” pasta, you can try adding a little crème fraiche or light cream. Or half a can of chopped tomatoes.
• For extra veggies, try adding a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes or some spinach leaves. Stir them through the hot pasta at the end. You could even add some green peas to the butter while cooking.
• Don’t overcook the prawns! The prawns only take a couple of minutes to cook. They can become tough and rubbery if cooked for too long. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, the prawns are added to the butter at the end, to quickly cook through before adding the pasta.
• Because the prawns cook quickly, make sure you have the other ingredients prepared ahead of time and ready to go to avoid unnecessary delays.

FAQs

Is chorizo spicy? Spice and heat levels in chorizo sausages can vary. Mexican chorizo is generally spicier than Spanish chorizo. But, the chorizo is mild enough throughout the dish without the addition of any extra chilli, if you want to keep it mild.

Is this pasta ok for kids? With the addition of garlic, butter, fresh lemon and parsley, the pasta is mild enough for kids to enjoy too. Skip the extra chilli flakes or keep them in a separate bowl for everyone to add their own. That way, everyone can adapt the dish to suit their tastes.

Which type of pasta is best? With a delicate oil-based sauce like this one, I recommend using a long and thin pasta. I love using spaghetti, angel hair or linguine. The longer strands will hold onto the oil and become perfect for slurping! If you prefer smaller pasta, pick one that isn’t tubular like bow-tie or shells.

Related recipes

If you love this pasta, try some of these other great mid-week family meals!

• Healthy chilli con carne
• Creamy tomato pasta sauce recipe
• Creamy chicken pasta with sun-dried tomatoes

I hope you love this pasta! If you try it, I’d love for you to leave a comment or rating and let me know how you enjoyed it. I really appreciate it! Andrea x

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