Cajun Shrimp Pasta with a spicy and rich cream sauce.
This is a quick and easy dinner recipe with just the right amount of kick! Tender whole shrimp smothered in a quick and easy spicy cream sauce with just the right amount of perfectly cooked pasta. YUM!
CAJUN SHRIMP PASTA
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This Cajun Shrimp Pasta dinner recipe has everything you could possibly want. Tender and succulent shrimp is coated in the cajun seasoning which adds just the right amount of flavor. The cream sauce only takes a few minutes to come together and the pasta soaks up all the flavor.
There are two things I can always make for dinner that will have my family drooling: shrimp and pasta. On the nights when I go that extra mile and actually make homemade pasta, we all eat way too much because nothing quite beats the taste of fresh pasta. But, most nights call for a quick and easy dinner, so dried pasta from the store is in order.
I wasn't sure if my kids would like the cajun seasoning, and although it was more spicy than the foods they typically eat, they simply couldn't resist the fact that I made sauteed shrimp with pasta in a cream sauce. It's basically their love language. The apples don't fall far from the tree!
How to make Cajun Shrimp Pasta:
This really is a quick and easy dinner recipe perfect for a busy weeknight. Since there is little measuring and no chopping, the entire recipe can pretty much be cooked in the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta. That means that in 10-15 mintues, you can have a complete dinner.
This recipe starts by boiling the pasta in salted water. It's important to use a full tablespoon of salt in your pasta water because the salt will flavor the pasta. Before you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce later, if needed.
While the pasta is cooking, saute the shrimp. They will cook quickly over relatively high heat. You'll remove the shrimp from the pan and set them aside and then use that same pan to make the sauce.
The cajun cream sauce is simply a mixture of heavy cream that you bring to a boil and parmesan cheese that melts in creamy smooth. There's enough cajun seasoning ont he shrimp and in the pan to give the sauce plenty of flavor. The sauce thickens within minutes and then you simply toss everything together to serve.
What to serve with Cajun Shrimp Pasta:
Since this recipe is rich and heavy, this pasta dish is wonderful with vegetables of some kind. Either a healthy green salad or a side of steamed broccoli or spinach goes great with this dinner. The Cajun Shrimp Pasta has so much flavor the the vegetable side dish you choose should be simple and light to help balance everything out.
What type of shrimp is best for Cajun Shrimp Pasta:
I always opt for wild caught shrimp over farmed shrimp. I find that there is a huge difference in taste and texture and it's worth it to eat wild caught.
Also, with shrimp, I most often recommend bigger is better. I'm not a fan of those teeny tiny bay shrimp. I prefer my shrimp be at least two bites worth.
Rather than buying fresh shrimp, I often buy frozen shrimp by the pound so that I always have some at the ready in the freezer!
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
RECIPE VIDEO WILL AUTOPLAY
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 1 pound raw shrimp (deveined, cleaned, tail removed)
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning (*see note below)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (finely grated from a block (a microplane works best); pre-grated or not real authentic parmesan won't melt as nicely)
Instructions
- Add salt to pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente doneness. Before draining, scoop out at least ½ cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the shrimp and sauce. Combine shrimp with cajun seasoning and olive oil in bowl. Toss to combine.
- Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and melt. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook until golden brown on each side, turning only once. You may have to cook shrimp in two batches to allow enough room. Once done cooking, transfer cooked shrimp to a clean plate and reduce heat to medium low.
- Add heavy cream to pan and scrape bottoms to release any food that is stuck to the bottom. Allow cream to bubble. Reduce heat to low and stir in parmesan cheese to melt. Add cooked pasta and shrimp and stir to coat. If sauce needs to be thinned, add pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
Notes
NUTRITION INFORMATION
This post was originally created for Centsless Meals where I was a contributor and has been updated with more fun facts and tidbits for your reading pleasure.
Kim
Really good! I added onions, diced tomatoes, red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes. I also used linguine instead of penne. Thanks for the easy, tasty recipe.
Julia
This was delicious! Added scallops too for a special occasion. Excellent recipe. Thank you!
Kelly
Just tried this using prawns instead, loved it! Just wondering can this be reheated the next day? If so how would I do this while keeping the dish creamy?
Krissy
Low and slow is the trick to reheating anything with a creamy sauce. Just do it gently over low heat on the stove or like 30% power in the microwave, stirring frequently. Glad you enjoyed it!
Di
Added chicken and it was easy and amazing!
Dee
Very delicious!! Everyone enjoyed, even my 11 y/o, she had seconds then thirds. Used your cajun seasoning recipe, couldn't find onion salt in the store so I made my own.
Bill
I didn’t make it yet but it looks delicious!
Brooke
I wish I would have read the comments first. I used “Slap your mama” and doubled my shrimp. Did not add double seasoning and did not add salt at all and it was still salty. I’m still eating it. This is one of the best recipes I’ve made. Thank you!!!
Krissy
Thank you for the five star rating and nice comment even though the seasoning you used made it too salty. I really appreciate it!!!
Shelby
Too salty and cheese didn't melt right!! After reading the reviews I realized what I needed to do next time. It would be great if the recipe was altered to reflect what really needs to be used. HOMEMADE Cajun Seasoning and BLOCK parmesan cheese. That way I would have known before I went to the store.
All that said, I did save it and will try it again.
Krissy
Hi Shelby, I'm so sorry it didn't turn out for you! I do have a note in the recipe about how store bought Cajun seasoning would most likely be too salty. Also, I will add a note about grating the cheese from the block. Microplaned parmesan will melt immediately where as large chunks of pre-shredded or anything that's not real parmesan won't melt right. I hope you make it again!
Emily W
This was aaaaamazing! Whipped it up super quickly and made the homemade Cajun seasoning with your recipe. Has a serious bite to it and it was exactly what I was craving last night! I’ve already shared the recipe with three others after posting the photo on my story. Thanks for this deliciousness!
Dawn Urbiha
This was amazing! I used store bought cajun seasoning and it was a little salty so I will cut that amount a bit next time, but a keeper for sure. Thanks!
Candy K.
Soooo good and so easy. Definitely was a hit!
Carole
Haven’t made this recipe yet. It sounds delicious. Considering using half and half, to save calories. Would making the substitution change the taste dramatically?
Krissy
It won't change the taste, but it will make the sauce thinner.
Edwin
Never switch heavy cream for half and half. Will not have the flavors want;
Meagan Hamilton
I made this dish using the homemade Cajun seasoning recipe and it was fantastic!
Nils L
One of the few bright highlights of the pandemic has been we are cooking more awesome meals at home and THIS Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe has been a HUGE hit for everyone we have made it for. I can't thank you enough for posting this!!! We have made the recipe about once a month and with shrimp or with chicken and sometimes added andouille sausage as well. Totally wonderful. 🙂
Krissy
So glad you like it! Thank you for the awesome comment!!!
Callie
Love this recipe and we often make it with linguine or spaghettini noodles. Others saying swapping the heavy cream for 1/2 and 1/2 must have super sensitive taste buds because I have made it with 1/2 and 1/2 and it's perfect. Creamy, delicious. I toss in a bit of minced fresh garlic and smoked paprika with the cajun seasoning and super tasty. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle
Not only do I love the Cajun seasoning recipe, I love that there was virtually no prep work for this dish! It was so creamy, just the right amount of spice, and just impressive. I used fresh scallops (seared in a separate pan and served on the side ) since I couldn’t find fresh shrimp in OH, but I’ll be in NC for vacay soon and will do it with shrimp as the recipe suggests. I also added about a tablespoon of chopped green onion. It’s amazing!!
Krysta
Delicious! I used zuchini noodles to make it low carb. Hand grated parm melted easily and homemade cajun seasoning was a great flavor. Next time will sub half the shrimp for a cajun sausage to make it more NOLA, but Delicious as is!
Drilona Van Dyke
Made this tonight and loved it! Make sure you use jumbo shrimp!
Mel B
I prepared this tonight for dinner. OMG! It was delicious! I made your Cajun spice but didn’t have onion salt. So I used onion powder and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and it was not too salty. It was creamy, easy, and oh so good! I will definitely be making this again!
Dee
It's difficult to find heavy cream. Will heavy whipping cream work?
Krissy
Yep! Same thing!
Ingrid Isaac
Absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you!
AprilR
Loved the recipe. I, myself, though will next time add maybe liguinie noodles. I found the penne to thick but still delish dish. It was a hit with all.
Will make again such a lovely quick dish.
Thank you!
Michael Pfaffinger
Do not use slap your mama Cajun seasoning it is extremely salty x2
Also parmesan Regina melts all that better all in all the recipe was very good. Protect my word for it the slap your mama seasoning is extremely salty You will not be happy.
Camil G
Very tasty and great for a “quick” weeknight dinner. Will definitely make this again.
Tori
Love love love this! I’ve made it probably 5X now. It’s super easy and I love how it’s in 1 pan for even easier clean up. I used McCormick Cajun seasoning because I’m lazy and like things to be as EASY as possible and I personally didn’t think it was too salty.
If I wanted this to be thicker/creamier what would you suggest?
Krissy
glad you like it! If you want the sauce to be thicker/creamier, I would just increase the amount of parmesan you use or slightly reduce the amount of cream.
April
Great recipe! A few notes from my kitchen:
- made it GF using a 1 # box of GF spaghetti
- Instead of the cream and cheese, I used 1 cup cream and 2 egg yolks as the sauce (works in another recipe). I put the parmesan on the table for folks to use as they wished as not all were parmesan-friendly :).
- I marinated the shrimp for 30 minutes in the homemade Cajun seasoning (loved it!) plus about 2 tsp of olive oil, then sautéed the shrimp (two batches).
- used 1 lb. 8 oz bag of frozen raw small shrimp (what I had in my freezer); didn't increase anything else and it came out fine.
- this made about 6 servings.
- seasoning: I used 1/4 red pepper flakes instead of 1/2 to be on safe side and put the flakes on the table (and extra Cajun seasoning) for those who might want a bigger kick.
Michelle
Amateur question
I haven’t worked with shrimp a lot. Do you keep the shrimp frozen or defrost them? Thanks so much!
Krissy
When frozen, they hold a lot of liquid and if you cook them frozen, you'll have way too much shrimpy liquid in your meal. Definitely defrost fully and even pat them dry before you cook them. Thanks for asking!
Deb K
Delicious and so easy! I used Penzies Cajun spice and didn't add any additional salt. Just a wonderful recipe - thanks!