I hope everyone enjoyed my meal planning 101 article last month. I’ve received a lot of comments from people who enjoyed learning how I meal plan, and most have put the tools to use. They have also requested some easy, healthier dinners that they can add to their weekly meal rotation. I love sharing a decadent chocolate dessert or a mouth-watering filet mignon recipe in ode to Valentine’s Day, but this year I’m sharing a Cajun-inspired recipe to honor Fat Tuesday, and of course an easy skillet recipe to get dinner on the table a little quicker. Of course, it doesn’t have to be Fat Tuesday to cook Cajun food.

I love how quickly this meal comes together. The rice will cook while the sausage and fresh vegetables reduce down in the skillet. Add in the fresh shrimp and a few fresh herbs and, voila, dinner is done. Best of all – it’s under 35 minutes from start to finish!

Of course, you can skip the King Cake and instead of white rice make quinoa, brown rice, or even spiralize zucchini to make zoodles. This will make the meal that much healthier without lacking flavor. Depending on what side dish you decide to make, your cooking times will vary, so keep that in mind. If you’re looking for a quick and easy meal with a little more spice and flavor, this recipe for Cajun shrimp and Andouille skillet dinner needs to be placed on your weekly meal plan!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Andouille sausage links, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
5 plum tomatoes, diced
24 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Place the olive oil, diced red onion, minced garlic, and
Andouille sausage in the skillet. Cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in the diced bell pepper and Cajun seasoning. Mix well and cook with the lid on for 5 additional minutes.
Once the peppers begin to soften, add in the plum tomatoes, mix well and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes with the lid off. Then add in the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on.
Divide the rice between 4 plates, then divide the Cajun shrimp and Andouille sausage between the plates. Top each plate with minced fresh parsley, enjoy immediately.