Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
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 30 minutes, making this meal a perfect weeknight meal!
Servings: 6 servings
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 564kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 528mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 8294IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 242mg | Iron: 4mg