Award winning cook and culinary expert, Kristina Vanni is back with a one pot meal. As a new mom she has struggled to make dinner with a baby! She will be showing us creamy Cajun pasta! To get the recipe click Yum! Kristina describes this as a spicy pasta dish that tastes like red beans and rice meets a creamy fettuccine alfredo.
The key to success with this recipe is the proper cooking vessel. You want a shallow skillet with straight sides. My favorite tool is this 3.5 quart braiser from Le Creuset. It is definitely an investment piece for your kitchen, but I use it so much that it ends up being well worth the price over the long run. Of course, there is the added bonus that classically beautiful pieces like this one from Le Creuset can go from oven or stovetop to the table and be served right out of the pan.
I have also made this is an 11-inch stainless steel skillet with 2 1/2 inch high sides and both worked great. The only thing you want to avoid is a very deep skillet, stockpot, or Dutch oven. Anything deep will prevent the liquid from evaporating during the cooking process and will result in overcooked pasta.