Skinny Shrimp Fajita Pasta Recipe - Pinch of Yum
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Skinny Shrimp Fajita Pasta

7 reviews / 5 average

You guysss.

I’m looking at the world through Mexican-flavored glasses.

I may not definitely do not have the looks, the suave, or the rhythm whatsoever, but I swear I have Mexican flavors in my soul. Mexi-Italian fusion skinny fajita pasta?  I’m telling you, it’s gotta be in my soul.

I did take salsa lessons once.

I would be lying if I told you it was just a teensy bit bad. Ay caramba.

Fajita peppers on a white plate.

Hey, remember when I was rejecting veggies?  Things change fast around here.

Roasted vegetables are actually BETTER than chocolate.  That’s right.  I said it.  And I take it back right this second but you know what I mean.  You’re pretty much inside my brain right now.

Roasted veggies are sweet (in a veggie way), perfectly charred, and tender-crisp in that amazing healthy craving way. I likey.

And shrimpers never let me down.  Never.  Unless they have tails, because those are annoying to pull off while I’m shoveling in food with a fork in both hands. Annooooying.

This pasta is a big bowl of Mexican love: sauteed peppers and onions, garlic shrimp, creamy enchilada sauce, and Cotija cheese. Grab 2 forks and dig. in.

Skinny shrimp fajita pasta in a blue bowl with a fork.
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A picture of Skinny Fajita Shrimp Pasta

Skinny Fajita Shrimp Pasta


Description

Skinny shrimp fajita pasta made with fajita peppers and onions, sauteed shrimp, and penne with a light cream sauce.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups whole wheat pasta
  • 9 ounces raw shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Mexican seasoning (I used about 3/4 tablespoon)
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced thinly
  • 1 onion, sliced thinly
  • 2 ounces light cream cheese
  • 6 ounces enchilada sauce (almost 3/4 cup)

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Place peppers and onions in a heavy duty skillet over medium-high heat. You don’t want to add too much oil or butter here (I didn’t add any at all) because you want the roasted, fajita-looking charred outside. Stir every so often, letting them sit long enough to get browned.
  3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over high heat. Add garlic and shrimp; season with Mexican seasoning plus salt and pepper to taste. Cook until shrimp are no longer translucent and have a lightly pink/white inside and browned outside, about 4-6 minutes. Add enchilada sauce and stir to remove the yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add pasta and peppers; stir to combine.
  4. With the pan over low heat, add the cream cheese and stir until melted. The pasta should be thick and creamy, but you can adjust it by adding more sauce or more cream cheese. Season with additional Mexican seasoning if desired.

Notes

I’ve used light sour cream in this instead of cream cheese, too. It tastes a little different but it works just fine. πŸ™‚

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired

Keywords: shrimp fajita pasta, skinny shrimp pasta, shrimp pasta

Eat a big bowl and have a happy weekend.

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49 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I love that you will post a β€œskinny” recipe after those double chocolate muffins! Good balance. πŸ™‚ I also totally agree about roasted veggies – a different but wonderful kind of sweet.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Cotija is my favorite cheese of all time!! I have to go to a certain Cub foods to get it but I bet you’d find it if you looked at a few stores :). Totally worth it!

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This looks awesome, and a good weeknight kind of a dish!
    And I suck at salsa-ing too. My hips just can’t seem to loosen up enough, or something. It’s quite sad.

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I LOVE every time there’s something Mexican-inspired here! My husband’s (then-boyfriend) roommates would make fun of us, because every Saturday we would go have Mexican food… and we never noticed it!

    I’ll have to take out the shrimp for the Mr. (he’s weird!) or maybe put it on the side, but I’m trying this asap!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I feel the same way about the Mexican… I have to check back to make sure I’m not posting too many Mexican flavored recipes πŸ™‚

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Let’s go out to Los Ocampo after work next week! After the inspiring (and, truthfully, mindset altering) article you sent to me, dinner is on me! πŸ™‚

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I’ve always wanted to go there! YES! I’m glad you liked the article. I loved it and I’m not even a mom yet. πŸ™‚

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Hi Lindsay! I recently started reading your blog and really enjoy it. Just finished eating this pasta for dinner and all I can say is HOLY YUM! Topped it with a little fresh cilantro leftover from making the stuffed Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes yesterday (fantastic, by the way). Thank you so much for the recipes and scrumptious photos, keep ’em coming!

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I don’t see the Cotija cheese listed in the ingredients, or in the instructions??

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Made this tonight for my family and it was a huge hit! Thanks for sharing!

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made this the other night and it was so yummy! Thanks for posting. This will be a regular. So easy too and my kids loved it!

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    My boyfriend and I made this last night. I added some diced chicken & sliced jalapeno, as well. It was fantastic!! And the real reward is that we had enough leftover for each of us to pack some for lunch today! Thanks for the recipe!!