So, when I worked in the restaurant industry, there was one dish I would gladly take home for dinner every night if I could. We called it Campfire Fettuccini! This dish opened me up to a whole new world of fooding and flavors. In fact, one of the key ingredients was something we called “Rooster Sauce,” which I later realized was actually Sriracha (yes, this is a story of a love pure and true).

Caution, once you make your own alfredo from scratch, the jarred variety will seem watery and cheap. And trust me, don’t be afraid of the Sriracha! The flavor comes across as sweet and savory, and the cream tames the fire. So even if you are not a spicy phoody, you will enjoy the flavor and heat level of this sauce.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 T. butter
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups grated smoked gouda
• 1 lb andouille sausage
• 1/2 cup diced bacon (save yourself the headache and buy the real bacon bits by Oscar Meyer)
• 2 T. minced garlic
• 2 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
• 2 T. Sriracha (add more for more heat)
• 1 lb raw shrimp
• 6 cups fresh baby spinach
• Spicy BBQ sauce
• 1 lb. uncooked pasta (I was super excited we found legit Fusili pasta! FYI…Fusili and Rotini are NOT the same)

Directions:

1. In a large saute pan, heat 2 T. butter and garlic until they begin to brown.

2. Add chopped andouille sausage and bacon to pan. Heat until the sausage is cooked through. Set aside in a colander to drain the excess oil.

3. Deglaze the pan with 2 cups of chicken broth.

4. Add mushrooms and basil to the chicken broth, and allow to cook until the mushrooms become tender, but not limp.

5. Add cream, and remaining 2 T. butter to pan. Stir until the cream and chicken broth are well mixed.

6. Add cooked sausage and bacon mixture to the sauce.

7. Allow to simmer slowly for about 10 minutes.

8. Add parmesan and smoked gouda. Stir until well blended.

9. Add Sriracha.

10. Allow to simmer while you cook your pasta. (Seriously excited to find LEGIT fusili pasta!!)

11. Once pasta is cooked and drained, add spinach to the sauce. Depending on how you want to prepare the shrimp, you can also add the shrimp to the sauce now. However, I highly suggest grilling your shrimp, covering them in BBQ sauce, and topping your pasta with them.

12. Once the spinach is wilted (and the shrimp are cooked if you added them to the sauce), you are ready to plate.

13. Give a generous helping of pasta, and an even more generous helping of sauce on each plate. I prefer it to be a little soupy with a long pasta. It’s best served with a nice crusty bread so you can dip it in the leftover sauce. I would suggest try it with the “Breath Bomb Garlic Bread,” but you’re arteries can only take so much abuse per meal.

14. Dig in!

– The Phoody