Fabulous Spicy Shrimp and Chicken Pasta

I am sure if you have been following this blog, you have noticed that we like spicy food. This is another pasta dish that we love that is a little spicy but still very flavorful and amazing! You might find a similar dish at Johnny Carino's. But the one that you will see on this post is much healthier! My husband and I are on a diet and we have been having some success - we have lost about 20 lbs since the beginning of January!! - And one of reasons why we have been losing weight is because we eat better than before. We use whole milk instead of heavy whipping cream. We cut down on butter and cheese. But still, this pasta turned out so great!! I am not saying it is the healthiest pasta you will ever find but still, it is pretty darn good!


Spicy Shrimp and Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

16 oz penne pasta (I didn't use penne, I was all out but I used another kind instead.)
2-3 tablespoon butter
2 boneless chicken breast (preferably grilled so you get the nice smoky flavor)
20 medium raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 cup fresh button mushroom (sliced)
1 cup sun dried tomatoes (sliced)
3 cups heavy whipping cream (Alright, this is the calories booster, you might want to avoid it if you're on a diet or trying to eat healthier. I used 1 1/2 cup whole milk instead. It still tasted fantastic!)
1/2 cup Italian cheese (or Romano cheese)
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmasan cheese to sprinkle

Direction:

Season and grill the chicken breasts until done. Cool and slice into bite sized pieces.
Add butter to a large sauté pan on medium heat.
Once butter is melted, add the shrimp, sliced chicken, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Saute mixture until shrimp and mushrooms are cooked.
Add the cream (or whole milk), Italian cheese (or Romano), cayenne pepper and smoked paprika. Let cream reduce by half while stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente according to package directions; drain excess water.
Toss cooked pasta with contents of sauté pan. Sprinkle parmasan cheese on top of the pasta and serve.

Adapted from Recipe Zarr