This Tasty One-Pot Shrimp Fajita Pasta is quick, easy, and totally delicious! Pescatarian + Gluten-Free
By now we’re all well aware of my colorful veggie obsession, and after 9+ years of this dog and pony show, darlings, I have no plans of stopping now!
For some strange reason; however, I’ve never gone full-on fajita up in here.
Crazy right? It’s so very long overdue especially since I’m constantly making shrimp, chicken and veggie fajitas for dinner.
Paul’s weekly request for “fajita things” means I’m stocking my grocery cart with vibrant bell peppers, jalapeños, onion, cilantro, and limes, plus all the fixings for an epic bowl of guacamole to go with it. I would have actually photographed this deliciousness with a big ole mountain of guac but my 4 year old has made it her life’s goal to introduce all ripe avocados to her face the moment I bring them home.
I need an avocado tree, stat.
We’ve made this tasty one-pot shrimp fajita pasta twice now and, not to toot my own horn or anything, but it’s *tooting* awesome!
This crazy colorful dish features Chickapea Pasta, a tasty gluten-free pasta made with chickpeas and lentils <— that’s it!
Nothing sketchy and no weird preservatives or stabilizers. Just good ole legumes in a fun pasta shape.
With 27 grams of protein in each serving, it’s a powerhouse of an option for pasta night! Especially paired with shrimp in this saucy skillet!
Fun. Filling. Flipping Delicious. Let’s do this!
I don’t want to spend too much time waxing poetic about this pasta though because I NEED you to get in the kitchen and make it. Who needs a tortilla when you have this skillet of awesomeness on the table? Not us! Let’s get our fajita on, yo!
TASTY ONE-POT SHRIMP FAJITA PASTA
Or should I say one pan? One skillet? ONE HECKOFA DELICIOUS DISH? Let’s go with that! This fun twist on fajitas is destined to rock your plate.
Tasty One-Pot Shrimp Fajita Pasta
PREP
COOK
TOTAL
AUTHOR JENN LAUGHLIN – PEAS AND CRAYONS
YIELD 4 SERVINGS
This tasty One-Pot Shrimp Fajita Pasta is quick, easy, and totally delicious! Pescatarian + Gluten-Free
Recipe yields 4 servings and can be easily halved to serve 2 if needed!
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz shrimp (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 8 oz Chickapea Pasta
- 1 TBSP oil for sauteeing (avocado, olive, coconut, etc…) plus extra as needed
- 2 bell peppers, any color
- 1 medium onion
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup enchilada sauce, plus extra if desired
TASTY TOPPINGS
- 2-4 oz grated cheese (skip for dairy-free)
- 1 jalapeño, sliced thin
- 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
- chopped green onion and/or cilantro, to taste
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
- guacamole or chopped/sliced avocado
- a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt
- pickled/marinated red onion
- pico de gallo
- hot sauce
Instructions
- If you plan on popping this bad boy in the oven to melt the cheese, use an oven-safe pot/pan and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prefer to stir the cheese into the pasta? Skip the oven!
- Clean and peel shrimp, defrosting if needed. Lately we’ve been buying frozen, deveined, easy-peel shrimp. All I have to do is defrost, peel, and cook! You can also buy your shrimp already peeled if you’d like! Set shrimp aside and start on the pasta.
- Cook pasta, uncovered in a large pot of boiling water. Season with a pinch of salt and cook for 6-8 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached. Rinse in a colander with cold water. Drain and set aside
- While your pasta boils, slice your bell pepper and chop your onion. Bring a large high-sided pan or skillet to medium-high heat with 1 TBSP of oil. Sauté onion and peppers until edges are browned and softened. Reduce heat to medium.
- Pat shrimp dry and season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well to coat both sides.
- Move veggies to the side, add a bit more oil, as needed, and add your shrimp to the pan. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes until shrimp curl and become opaque. The cook time will depend on the heat setting you choose and the size of your shrimp, but regardless they’ll be perfectly cooked in a matter of minutes. Add your cooked, drained pasta and enchilada sauce. Gently fold everything together. If you’d like, feel free to use additional sauce! Sometimes I go light and other times I’ll make it extra saucy!
- Add your cheese. You can swirl it into the pasta or sprinkle on top and use an oven mit to transfer pot to oven, uncovered, for a few minutes until hot and melty!
- Now pile on the toppings! I added lime wedges (I love to squeeze a little lime juice into the dish before diving in) along with cilantro and fresh jalapeños. It’s also kiiiind of amazing with a dollop of sour cream and some salsa!
Notes
I’ve made this tasty pasta dish two ways – the first way is all in one pot (hence the title) by boiling the pasta in a large high-sided skillet, then transferring it to a bowl while you cook the shrimp and veggies. To save time, you can actually boil the pasta in a separate pot while cooking the rest of the dish and it goes even faster! Totally choose your favorite method here!
SPECIAL DIETS AND SWAPS
- This dish can be made dairy-free by skipping the optional cheese on top!
- Control the heat by either mixing in extra jalapeño or adding red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
- For milder dish, make sure you use a mild enchilada sauce and skip the jalapeños.
- Looking for a vegetarian or vegan swap? Try my Healthy One-Pot Enchilada Pasta which also features Chickapea Pasta!
- No cilantro? No problem! Chopped green onions make a tasty topping and a pretty garnish for this dish.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
- guacamole or chopped/sliced avocado
- a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt
- pickled/marinated red onion
- pico de gallo
Have fun with the toppings and treat this sassy skillet the same way you would conventional fajitas. I mean, you could probably even throw caution to the wind and serve this shrimp fajita pasta IN a tortilla. I’m certain that wouldn’t be drastically breaking laws of nature or anything… or would it? The world may never know!
That was dramatic… just ditch the tortilla and try the pasta, will ya?