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!
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.