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This Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta is smothered in a very flavorful creamy Cajun sauce. The shrimp is cooked to perfection with the Cajun spice and the whole dish can be put together in 3o minutes, making this meal a perfect weeknight meal!
This Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe is has succulent shrimp, vibrant veggies, and the most delicious Cajun sauce. Hearty, comforting and a breeze to make, spice up your pasta this week with a Cajun twist!
If you’re looking for other delicious shrimp recipes, why not also try my Cilantro Lime Shrimp or my Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp!
Why you’ll love this Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Super creamy! Made with heavy cream, this sauce is lusciously creamy and delicious.
- Packed with Cajun flavor. Both the shrimp and the pasta sauce is seasoned with Cajun spices.
- An easy pasta recipe. This shrimp pasta goes from pantry to table in 30 mins, using mostly pantry staples.
- Succulent shrimp. The shrimp takes on all those lovely flavors from the pasta sauce and stays plump and tender.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Cook the pasta – According to package instructions.
- Pan sear the shrimp – Coat the shrimp some paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and low salt Cajun seasoning, then pan sear for 5 mins. Set aside.
- Make the sauce – In the skillet, sauté the onion and add in the spices, pasta water and heavy cream. Cover and simmer for 2-3 mins.
- Assemble – Add the pasta to the skillet coat well then and add the shrimp.
- Garnish with parsley, serve and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- Ideally cook the pasta al dente, so it will come out with enough bite after you simmer it in the sauce.
- After dropping the pasta into the boiling water, stir immediately to avoid the noodles sticking.
- Make sure to reserve some pasta water for the sauce, this helps make it more robust.
- To save time, opt for shelled and deveined shrimp.
- Shrimp cooks quick, so keep an eye it on when pan searing. They should turn opaque pink and form a ‘C’ shape.
- Ideally opt for low salt Cajun seasoning I have bought so many brands of Cajun seasoning and could not handle most of them because they are so salty. So be sure to grab a good one.
- If you are not a fan of heavy cream or want to reduce the fat, you can use half and half instead (half milk , half cream for the amount required).
- Top with some red pepper flakes for an extra kick of heat.
FAQ’s
Which type of pasta is best?
You can use literally any time of pasta for this recipe. In fact for most of my pasta recipes, you can easily swap the pasta I used to any kind you prefer. I used thin linguini for this recipe. My husband love angel hair pasta. My kids love spaghetti. So I always swap to whatever I have in hand. I also love this dish with penne pasta as it catches all the sauce!
What’s the best shrimp to use?
Peeled and deveined is always convenient, you can leave the tails on or take them off.
Ideally opt for wild caught shrimp over farmed shrimp. There is a big difference in taste and texture and it’s worth it to eat wild caught.
Also, when it comes to shrimp, bigger is better! Small bay shrimp can be underwhelming and lack flavor.
You can buy frozen shrimp by the pound so that I always have some at the ready in the freezer! Leave to defrost in a sieve over bowl overnight, or run under cold water in the sink.
Can I use other protein?
You can always swap the shrimp to any protein you like. But I prefer white meats for this dish like chicken, scallops, or even tofu if you like. Red meat will not pair well with this recipe. If you prefer to do it meatless, you can do that as well! Just follow the base pasta recipe and add a little extra Cajun seasoning to the dish.
Other pasta recipes you might like
- Fajita Chicken Mac N Cheese
- Creamy Shrimp Penne Pasta With Red Pepper Sauce
- Sun-Dried Tomato Penne Pasta
- Easy Macaroni Salad
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz thin linguini pasta
- 1 small onion, diced. about 1 cup
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1½ cup pasta water, reverse from cooking pasta
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese, or 6 oz. cream cheese
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning, low salt
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
SHRIMP
- 2 lbs. shrimp
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ¾ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 ½ tsp. paprika
- 2 tbsps. Cajun seasoning, low salt
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, season the shrimp with some paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and low salt Cajun seasoning.
- Pan sear the shrimp for about 5-7 minutes with olive oil until they are almost cooked through. Set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the onion until they are caramelized in one 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Add in the spices, pasta water and heavy cream.
- Simmer on low for about 2-3 minutes and then add in the grated parmesan cheese. Give it a stir and then simmer for a couple more minutes.
- Add in the cooked pasta and toss to coat really well with the creamy Cajun sauce.
- Then add in the shrimp and mix everything together well. Cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes on low heat. Remove and serve!
- You can garnish with some pepper flakes or chopped parsley before serving.
Video
Notes
- Ideally cook the pasta al dente, so it will come out with enough bite after you simmer it in the sauce.
- After dropping the pasta into the boiling water, stir immediately to avoid the noodles sticking.
- Make sure to reserve some pasta water for the sauce, this helps make it more robust.
- To save time, opt for shelled and deveined shrimp.
- Shrimp cooks quick, so keep an eye it on when pan searing. They should turn opaque pink and form a ‘C’ shape.
- Ideally opt for low salt Cajun seasoning I have bought so many brands of Cajun seasoning and could not handle most of them because they are so salty. So be sure to grab a good one.
- If you are not a fan of heavy cream or want to reduce the fat, you can use half and half instead (half milk , half cream for the amount required).
- Top with some red pepper flakes for an extra kick of heat.
Thank you for answering my question, the recipe is delicious my husband really loved it.
Of course! Feel free to reach out to me at any time via email as well if you have a quick question, since I am not here all the time to reply right away.
I would like to ask why you have paprika down twice in the shrimp, it is written 1 tsp. and then again 1 1/2 tsp paprika?
Sorry that was a typo. I have adjusted it. Thanks for pointing it out.
Nice! But what’s the serving portion for those 574kcal? Thanks!
Hi Ana,
Yes, It’s a bigger serving and the cream ingredient and pasta adds up.
Hi! I understand the cream ingredient and pasta add up, but in the Nutrition section it says: “Serving: 1g”. Would it be 100g? 200g? Thanks!
1 serving, portion. there is not grams. I don’t weigh the food.
Excellent
Thanks Jan
Yum! We added a bit of tarragon too! Delicious!