Creamy Marinara Seafood Pasta

This fabulous creamy marinara seafood pasta is a winner, my friends. Sharing all the tips and tricks so you can make this delicious pasta dish ASAP.

Hello, my friends!

How are you today?

I’m excited to be here to share this creamy marinara seafood pasta dish with you. We are a big fan of seafood pasta dishes around here. I have a few other favorites I’ve already posted here on the blog: creamy seafood pasta (which uses an Alfredo-type sauce) and creamy seafood, tomato and spinach pasta (which uses a tomato cream sauce). And today’s dish is a creamy marinara version which we love.

Brandon, my husband, is the mastermind behind today’s seafood pasta dish as well as the creamy seafood pasta recipe I posted. He is an excellent cook and has that knack for just knowing what ingredients go well together and making those work into something fabulous every time. Since he doesn’t use a recipe and doesn’t write recipes down, repeatability is a challenge. And that’s where I come in. After he explained as best as he could, I was able to measure and recipe test to come up with this recipe that is pretty darn close to his original masterpiece.

And now I’m sharing it with you so you can make it too.

Tips and Ingredient Preferences

Fresh seafood is the best. So if you have access to fresh seafood, consider yourself fortunate and definitely use it. We often use the frozen farm-raised vacuum-packed Atlantic skinless salmon fillets from Costco.  I thaw them in cold water for about 10-20 minutes, then make sure they are nice and dry before using,

We usually buy raw shrimp, peeled & deveined (fresh or frozen, tail on or off). I usually buy the larger shrimp (31-40 or 21-25 shrimp per pound) from Costco. You can use the smaller shrimp too, just keep in mind that they will cook quicker than the recipe states, so watch them closely.

Like so many of my recipes, I use this homemade chicken bouillon substitute  for this recipe. I love it.

For the Italian Seasoning, I like to use Tuscan sunset from Penzey’s (unsponsored plug). Feel free to use any Italian seasoning that you like the flavor of.

For the tomatoes, I often use a quart of home canned crushed tomatoes (drained) in this recipe. You could also easily substitute fresh tomatoes.

FAQs about this Creamy Marinara Seafood Pasta

Okay, my friends. Leave any other questions you have in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.

It’s time to get making this creamy marinara seafood pasta dish

You won’t regret it.

Print

Creamy Marinara Seafood Pasta

This fabulous creamy marinara seafood pasta is a winner, my friends. Sharing all the tips and tricks so you can make this delicious pasta dish ASAP.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Seafood

Keyword Pasta, Seafood

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

For Pasta:

• 1 12-ounce package tubular pasta penne, mostacciolis, etc

For Seafood:

• 2 6-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillets fresh or frozen, thawed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
• salt & pepper to taste

For Marinara Sauce:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ cups diced white or yellow onion about ½ medium
• 3 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 ½ cups diced carrots about 2 large
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon see note
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes drained, see note
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided
• ½ cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese divided

Instructions

For Pasta:

1. Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain. Set aside.

For Seafood:

1. Meanwhile, thoroughly dry salmon fillets with paper towels and then season with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a medium Dutch oven with a lid over medium high heat. When oil sizzles, add seasoned salmon and cover pot with lid. Cook salmon for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until salmon starts to flake, is golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove salmon to a plate and set aside.

3. Add shrimp to the Dutch oven, season with a few sprinkles of salt and pepper. Cook shrimp for 4 to 5 minutes on medium high covered, tossing every few minutes until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove from pan and drain shrimp, reserving the liquid. Set aside cooked shrimp on plate with the salmon.

For Marinara Sauce:

1. Add ¼ cup olive oil to now empty Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until hot and rippling.

2. Add diced onion, minced garlic, diced carrots, chicken bouillon, salt, and black pepper and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until onions are translucent and carrots are tender.

3. Then add the Italian seasoning, parsley, drained tomatoes, tomato sauce and reserved liquid from the shrimp. Stir and heat to a bubble. Then add cream and brown sugar or honey and cook until heated through. Add ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

Assembling and Serving:

1. Add the 12-ounces cooked pasta to the Dutch oven with the sauce, stir well until pasta is coated with sauce. Then cut up the salmon in 1 to 2-inch pieces and add on top along with the cooked shrimp. Sprinkle Parmesan and sharp cheddar cheese over the seafood.

2. Preheat the broiler. Place Dutch oven (without the top) on the middle rack in the oven and broil for 5 to 6 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned and seafood is warmed back through. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

1. Fresh seafood is the best. But the frozen farm-raised vacuum-packed Atlantic skinless salmon fillets from Costco work too.  I just thaw them in cold water for about 10-20 minutes, then make sure they are nice and dry before using,

2. We usually buy raw shrimp, peeled & deveined (fresh or frozen, tail on or off). I usually buy the larger shrimp (31-40 or 21-25 shrimp per pound) from Costco, but you can use the smaller shrimp too, just keep in mind that they will cook quicker.

3. I use this homemade chicken bouillon for this recipe.

4. For the Italian Seasoning, I like to use Tuscan sunset from Penzey’s.

5. For the tomatoes, I often use a quart of home canned crushed tomatoes (drained) in this recipe and it works well.

6. I haven’t tried it (b/c we love seafood) but I think this recipe would work well if you wanted to substitute chicken for the seafood. If I was trying it, I would use 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken and season it the same way. I would start by cooking it for about 4 minutes per side until browned and then cover and cook on medium heat until done. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after cooking before slicing.

Recipe Source: Brandon @ The Cook’s Treat, measurements, amounts and instructions by Heather @ The Cook’s Treat

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.