Ingredients

Spicy Shrimp Pasta
• 1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 2 jalapeños diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves diced
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper diced
• 2 Tb butter (divided)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water (Just take 1/2 cup out of the pot of water you cooked the pasta in right before you drain it.)
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan plus more for topping on pasta
• 2 Tb Spice mix (recipe below)
• Fettuccine cooked al dente
• kosher salt
• fresh chopped basil
Spice Mix
• 2 Tb chili powder
• 1 Tb paprika
• 1 Tb garlic powder
• 1 Tb onion powder
• 1 Tb thyme
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

For the Pasta
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Make sure you salt the water-- 2 Tb of kosher salt will do the trick. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water before draining the pasta and set aside.
For the Sauce
2. In a large saucepan, saute onion, garlic, jalapeño and roasted red pepper in 1 Tb butter on medium heat until soft, about 7 minutes. Add heavy cream, 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water and 1 Tb of the spice mix, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to low and stir while sauce thickens, another 5-7 minutes.
3. Add 1 cup of pepper jack and 1/2 cup of parmesan to sauce and stir to combine. Let the cheese melt into the sauce while you cook your shrimp.
For the shrimp
4. Sprinkle 1 Tb of spice mix on shrimp until coated (you may want a little more) and heat up a frying pan with 1 Tb butter and 1 Tb olive oil until butter gets bubbly. Add shrimp and do not move them around in the pan. Set your timer for 3 minutes exactly and then flip the shrimp over. Set timer again for 2 minutes and those babies are done! In my experience, the 3/2 minute timer trick will guarantee you never overcook them.
5. Stir the drained fettuccine into the sauce. Plate up the pasta and top with shrimp, fresh basil and a few more pinches of parmesan.