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.
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:
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Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain. Set aside.
For Seafood:
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Meanwhile, thoroughly dry salmon fillets with paper towels and then season with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
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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.
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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:
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Add ¼ cup olive oil to now empty Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until hot and rippling.
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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.