The most creamy, delicious, comforting and devour-worthy prawn Alfredo pasta is here. This is the recipe you can make on a weeknight for a quick 30 minute dinner. Or even go for a weekend meal for two if you are in the mood for comfort food that doesn’t take hours in the kitchen.
The prawns are juicy and plump, soaking in all the flavours of the creamy Alfredo sauce, and the pasta is so so luxurious. Whenever I make this prawn Alfredo pasta, I just can’t stop eating it. It’s one of those special recipes that I just keep going back to. Hope you try it and love it as much as I do.
How to Cook the Perfect Pasta Every Single Time
No one likes a plate of mushy broken pasta, and so, while it is important put in our best efforts in perfecting the sauce, where the entire flavour lies, it is also extremely important to boil the pasta to perfection. It is not rocket science, just a few basic steps and you’ll have yourself perfectly cooked pasta every single time:
– Bring sufficient water to a boil
It is very important to have enough water in the pan to properly drown the pasta- Lesser volume of water may result into it getting extremely starchy; and bring it to a roaring boil before adding your pasta- the boiling water agitates the pasta pieces, thus helping them cook more evenly, keep them separated from one another and avoid clumps.
– Add salt
A very common mistake a lot of people make is adding oil to their pasta water in order to keep them from sticking to one another. However, this is completely false, as the only thing that can keep pasta from sticking is ample amount of water and a rolling boil, and hence is a waste of oil. Adding salt to the pasta water ensures that the pieces/strands of pasta do not remain bland while the only flavour and seasoning is in the sauce, because no one likes to bite into pasta that has all the flavours in the sauce and none into those spaghetti strands.
– Save the pasta water
Saving a couple ladles of pasta water goes a long way. Not only does the salty pasta water help flavour your sauce, it also plays a major role, along with butter and olive oil, to bring that glossy magical finish to your pasta.
– Cook according to package instructions
There is no universal rule to cook the perfect pasta, it completely depends on the brand or product you are using and it is advisable to cook as per the packet instructions; especially timing. The most common way to cook pasta is till al dente, which loosely translates “to the bite/tooth”, means almost cooked but not completely cooked. However, the above tips ensure getting the perfectly cooked pasta every single time.
Ingredients in this Prawn Alfredo Pasta
As mentioned before, this recipe calls for the most basic and minimal ingredients. Let’s take a look at the key ingredients:
– Prawns
Prawns are the star of this recipe. They need to be cooked just right to get that plump and juicy taste. Make sure you pat them dry before cooking in butter and cook them just enough so that they don’t turn rubbery. It acts as the perfect protein element of this dish and adds that appetizing seafood flavour to your pasta. A win-win for all!
– Cream
Fresh cream is the base of this Alfredo sauce. It provides certain richness and thickness to the sauce. Although we know how many Alfredo sauce recipes contain flour and milk- that is not the authentic way to go as that version of the Italian cream sauce was invented somewhere in America and not Italy. Truth is, for the most authentic, flavourful Italian Cream Sauce or Alfredo Sauce all you need is cream, freshly grated parmesan cheese and salt.
– Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and Butter
Butter is a key ingredient in any kind of Alfredo sauce. Paring it up with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) elevates your dish by providing a bitter and fruity flavour to your pasta; increasing the richness of the sauce. Make sure you use good quality fat to get the best results in this otherwise simple recipe.
Let’s take a look at the recipe.
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 35 minutes
Serves – 3
Ingredients
For the prawns:
- 400 g prawns, cleaned and deveined
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 2 tbsp butter
For the final pasta recipe:
- 250 g pasta of choice, cooked al dente in salty pasta water as per package instructions
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 cup onions, finely chopped
- 200 ml fresh cream
- 1/4 cup pasta water (add more if required)
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp finely chopped basil leaves or parsley for garnish
Directions
- Heat water in a large pot. Add enough salt to it till saline. Once it comes to a boil, cook the pasta in it till al dente as per package instructions. Set some pasta water aside.
- Clean and devein the prawns. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
- Marinate the prawns with salt and freshly crushed black pepper powder.
- Heat butter in a pan. Cook the prawns for five minutes or till cooked. Set them aside.
- In the same pan, add extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped onions and cook till they caramelise and turn brown.
- Add the garlic and cook till aromatic.
- Pour the fresh cream along with pasta water and mix till well combined.
- Add the cooked prawns along with the cooked pasta and cook till everything is well combined.
- Grate parmesan cheese on top and mix.
- Add pasta water if required.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or basil leaves and enjoy steaming hot!
I hope you try this Prawn Alfredo Pasta super soon. If you have any doubts, comments, or feedback, please reach out to me in comments or my social media handles.
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Happy cooking!
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