Prawn and Chorizo Pasta

This pasta is one fine dish that can rival an expensive meal in a not-so-cheap restaurant. Or, perhaps you want to impress your family and friends with a special dinner. And special it is! Special enough for a romantic dinner for two as well!

Prawns and chorizo are one nice combo. Cooked on their own, prawns can be pretty bland, at least to my taste buds, so they need some other ingredients to add a bit of flavour.

And I can't think of anything more flavourful than some chorizo slices sizzling in a hot pan with some garlic and chilly flakes. The gorgeous bright red colour coming from the paprika adds a nice touch too, so we don't need to add any sauces at all.

This pasta dish can be prepared in well under 20 minutes, and have it ready for dinner without much effort or preparation. Which makes it ideal when time is tight and you'd rather not complicate yourself with difficult dishes.

Ingredients used

• spaghetti - or any other pasta of your choice like tagliatelle or linguine
• chorizo sausage ring  - or 1 cup chorizo slices
• prawns / shrimp - raw, not cooked
• dried chilli flakes - for fresh chillies if you wish
• lemon juice - for a fresh kick
• fresh parsley - for a touch of colour and extra flavour
• cloves of garlic - fresh garlic is the best
• olive oil - or any other oil of your choice

Easy swaps

Like with any other dish on my blog, this recipe can be easily tweaked to your own liking. I used dried chilly flakes for this pasta dish, but red chilli peppers also work very well. For extra goodness, you can also add red bell peppers to up the nutritional value, or any other peppers you have.

If you can't handle heat very well, either add less chilli, or just herbs for extra flavour. Italian herbs would work pretty well here, or any other herbs you usually like for pasta. In which case, you might need to add more garlic, for some more flavour.

Any kind of pasta works here, not just spaghetti. Linguini or tagliatelle would be wonderful too. Even orzo, and the cooking method would be the same, there is no difference in cooking time or final result.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

• cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions
• in a large frying pan, heat up the olive oil, add the sliced chorizo and quickly fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side
• add the garlic and chilly flakes and cook for a further 30 seconds

Note! Since the pan is hot, the chilly flakes will heat up quickly and release not only fragrance, but also a bit of spiciness, so we need to have all the ingredients ready before starting to cook the dish. The quicker we work, the better.

• add the prawns/shrimp, and leave to cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink. Do not overcook the prawns, otherwise they become tough and rubbery

• in go the chopped parsley and lemon juice too
• once the spaghetti is cooked, drain the water and toss them in the pan to coat well
• remove from the heat and serve immediately

Expert tips

I used fresh prawns for my recipe, and they required very little cooking, since the pan and the chorizo were already very hot. Do not leave them to cook for any longer once they turn pink, otherwise they will become tough and rubbery.

If you use ready-cooked prawns, add them up once everything is cooked, and just allow them to heat up. There is no need for extra cooking, as that will change their texture.

Other 20-minute pasta dishes

Looking for more pasta dishes that can be prepared in under 20 minutes? How about these fabulous recipes: Easy Bacon Carbonara Pasta Recipe, 20-Minute Creamy Shrimp Alfredo Pasta for Two or Easy Pasta with Shrimp and Spinach.