15-Minute Prawn and Chorizo Pasta (Easy & Spicy)

Whenever I’m craving a simple, comforting weeknight meal, I make prawn and chorizo pasta. It is made with a delicious, aglio e olio inspired sauce, quick-cooking prawns, and the pasta shape that’s always superior with seafood: linguine. If you love this prawn chorizo pasta, you should definitely try my Delicious Marry Me Shrimp Pasta next.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Vibrant comfort food: This prawn and chorizo pasta is the definition of comfort food with a silky, light sauce that is inspired by an aglio e olio style base: olive oil + garlic + pasta water to emulsify. For something richer, consider making this Easy Ragu Bianco.
• Quick weeknight dinner: This chorizo and prawn pasta is ready in about 15 minutes, so it’s great for busy work days when you need something even faster than my 20-minute Easy Chicken Piccata.
• Incredible flavour: Spicy, crispy chorizo, fresh lemon juice, chopped garlic, and smoked paprika come together to make chorizo prawn pasta that tastes like summer (though I enjoy it in the winter too to pretend it’s summer).

If you love chorizo, you’ll love these recipes: Chicken and Chorizo Risotto, Chicken and Chorizo Pasta and Chicken and Chorizo Paella.

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you need for this prawn and chorizo pasta.

• King prawns: I recommend using king prawns for this prawn and chorizo pasta recipe. 
• Chorizo: You can use either raw or cooked chorizo, and both options will give you crispy bits. If you have some leftover after this recipe, consider using them in this One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice.
• Pasta: I like to go down the classic route and use prawn and chorizo spaghetti or linguine. They taste great with the sauce, prawns, and chorizo. It’s a similar vibe to my Creamy Leftover Ham Pasta, super simple ingredients but so flavourful.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations/ Adaptations

Here are some easy adaptations for your prawn and chorizo pasta.

• Mix up the pasta shape: I love prawn and chorizo linguine, but you can also use a shorter shaped pasta like penne, shells or farfalle, which could all be used in my One-Pan Mince Pasta too.
• Type of prawns: I opted for frozen king prawns for the extravagant feel, but smaller cooked prawns/tiny shrimp work too to reduce cost. If you love seafood dinners, you should definitely try my Delicious Air Fryer Cod next – it’s so easy.
• Adapt to dietary restrictions: If you are gluten-free, just sub the pasta with your favourite GF option. To make this lower-fat, substitute the chorizo with lean bacon lardons and reduce the olive oil by half (it won’t be the best prawn and chorizo pasta recipe ever, but it does the job and keeps it lighter).

How to make the Ultimate Prawn and Chorizo Pasta

1. Start by slicing the chorizo into circles, then quarters (Image 1).
2. Then add chorizo to a large pan over a low heat with 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil (Image 2).

3. Gently fry, allowing the fat to render from the chorizo slowly. Fry for around 8 minutes, until the seasoned fat is rendered and the chorizo is crispy (Image 3).

4. Meanwhile, add your pasta to heavily salted (salty like the sea) boiling water. Set your timer to the packet time minus one minute (Image 4).

Once the chorizo is crispy, remove ⅓ from the pan to use as a garnish.

5. Add the sliced garlic and smoked paprika to the pan and stir together (Image 5).

6. Then add the uncooked prawns and chilli flakes and gently fry over a medium heat for 2 minutes (Image 6). 

7. After around 2 minutes the paprika, king prawns and garlic will have cooked and bloomed together. Transfer two ladles of pasta water into the pan with the chorizo and prawns and stir vigorously (Image 7).

8. Once your pasta timer goes off, reserve a generous amount of pasta water and transfer the pasta into the pan with the chorizo/prawns. Also add the parsley, 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice at this stage (Image 8). 

9. Stir everything together to ensure the prawns, chorizo, garlic and parsley are fully incorporated (Image 9).

10. Serve with the reserved crispy chorizo, an optional extra lemon wedge, a sprinkle of parsley and extra chilli flakes if you like things spicy (Image 10).

To make the meal more substantial, try serving one of my soup recipes as a starter: Creamy Parsnip Soup, Green Chili Chicken Soup and Easy Carrot and Coriander Soup.

Serving Suggestions

This prawn and chorizo pasta is delicious as a standalone dish but if you want to increase the spread, here are some pairings I would go for, especially if you’re serving prawn chorizo linguine.

• Tenderstem broccoli
• Cavolo nero with garlic and lemon
• Easy airfryer frozen green beans
• Sauteed Broccoli (in 10 minutes!)
• Parmentier potatoes
• Crostini recipes
• Spanish chicken
• Perfect Pan-Fried Cod
• Creamy Smoked Haddock Recipe

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

Refrigerator: If you have any leftover prawn and chorizo pasta, pack it into an airtight container once it cools. Then, store it in the fridge. This prawn chorizo recipe should last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Freezer: Do not freeze. Prawn and chorizo pasta is best eaten fresh, and prawns can become rubbery when reheated from frozen.

Reheat: Microwave leftovers to heat them up until hot throughout.

Here’s some advice on reheating some other recipes using an air fryer; The Best Way to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Airfryer, The Best Way To Reheat Salmon and The Best Way to Reheat Baked Ziti.

FAQs

Need something sweet to finish your meal? Try my: Soft Flapjack Recipe, Mini Egg Cheesecake and Rocky Road.