This Cajun Shrimp pasta recipe is definitely at least 3 things: extremely yummy with a touch of spice and perfectly creamy texture.
I guarantee you won’t be let down once you try it. It has everything down, from smokiness and spiciness, to a beautiful creamy consistency mixed with parmesan. It gets all the flavors just right, and it’s also very straightforward and easy to make.
🍽 What You Need For Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp: Fresh is best. When it’s frozen, it tends to lose its flavor a little, along with the texture as it gets mushier. You can still use it for convenience, just dry them out before seasoning with herbs.
- Butter: This makes the sauce a lot creamier than olive oil would. You can use it unsalted or salted.
- Olive oil: A drizzle is all you need to allow the spices and herbs to cling onto the shrimp and help with cooking.
- Freshly minced garlic: It pairs very well with shrimp, so this is crucial.
- Heavy cream: also whipping cream, both have the ideal texture for this meal. This is important to balance out the spice.
- White wine: Pinot Grigio or any other dry white wine.
- Lemon juice: The tanginess goes well with shrimp too and elevates the taste.
- Herbs and spices: Cajun seasoning is the main one, red pepper flakes to bring some spice, dry oregano, garlic for the shrimp, and paprika. Without forgetting pepper and salt.
- Roma tomato: Diced, to add color and taste.
- Long pasta: Use your favorite pasta shape, I recommend fettuccine because the flat surface helps the sauce stick better to it.
- Fresh parsley: For garnish, to give it a good taste and look.
- Grated Parmesan cheese: Better when grated at home, to add to the creaminess and deliciousness.
🔪 How To Make Easy Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- First, bring a pot of salted water to boil in order to cook your pasta and lay out the ingredients you will need. This recipe is quick to keep everything at reach.
- Cook your pasta following the packaging directions.
- Dry out your shrimp and sprinkle some pepper, salt, Cajun seasoning, oregano, chopped garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, and garlic powder. Combine until blended.
- Put a frying pan over the stovetop on medium-high and cook the shrimp for a few minutes on both sides. Place on a plate and put to the side.
- Throw in the butter and sear the chopped garlic for a minute. Drizzle in your white wine to deglaze the pan, then cook until it goes down in half.
- Stir in the heavy cream, and a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Keep one cup to the side of your pasta cooking water and strain the rest.
- Place your shrimp back into the pan and pour in the lemon juice to cook for a minute until everything is warm.
- Finish off by mixing in the cooked pasta and parmesan along with minced parsley.
🔪How To Make The Perfect Creamy Pasta Sauce
The key is allowing it to simmer and go down until you reach the ideal texture. Keep in mind that rich sauces thicken up once they’re cooled down, that’s what you might need the pasta water for, to play as a thinning agent. Remember, parmesan will also make it thicker.
♨️ Can Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta Be Made Ahead Of Time?
This is not advised. Pasta tends to get tougher once it’s chilled, and the creamy sauce will become overly thick. In case you have some leftovers, you can always store them, and add in a little bit of milk when you’re ready to reheat to thin out the sauce. It will only last for 2 days in the fridge, and it also doesn’t hold up well when frozen. The shrimp shouldn’t overcook to keep that firmness and avoid it becoming mushy and soft.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Easy Shrimp Tacos
- Bang Bang Shrimp Bowls
- Easy Baked Teriyaki Chicken
The Best Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound of long pasta fettuccine or spaghetti
- 1 pound of shrimp deveined and peeled
- ½ tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons of oregano
- 1 and ½ separated tablespoons of Cajun seasoning
- 2 separated and chopped garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of dry white wine like Pinot Grigio
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 diced Roma tomato
- ½ cup of pasta cooking water
- 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
- Pepper and salt
- 2 tablespoons of minced parsley
- ½ cup of grated parmesan
Instructions
- Heat up a pot for salter water and lay out all your components.
- Follow the packaging directions to boil the pasta.
- Dry out your shrimp, mix with paprika, oregano, chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, ½ tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, and garlic powder in a bowl.
- Warm up a frying pan over medium-high and cook the shrimp on both sides for 2 minutes. Place on a plate and put to the side.
- Throw some butter in the same pan, and sear the rest of the chopped garlic for a minute. Unstick the bits from the bottom using white wine. Cook until it goes down by half.
- Mix in your Roma tomato dices, heavy cream, and the other tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Place the cooked shrimp back into the pan and allow to warm up for a minute.
- . Keep half a cup of pasta water, strain the rest, and put it in the pan. Lastly, stir in the parmesan and minced parsley until blended.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below and tag @1MFoodie & @1MFoodieOfficial on Instagram!
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