Cajun Shrimp Pasta
A delicious and easy-to-prepare dish, this creamy Cajun shrimp pasta recipe combines bold flavors and rich sauce with succulent shrimp for a crowd-pleasing meal.
Servings: 4
Calories: 722kcal
Ingredients
- ½ pound penne pasta, cooked and drained according to package directions
- 1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed then patted dry with a paper towel (31 to 40 count)
- 1 ½ tablespoons cajun seasoning blend to season the shrimp
- 1 ½ teaspoons cajun seasoning blend to season the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 14.5 ounces can fire roasted diced tomatoes, excess juices drained
- 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus additional 1 to 2 tablespoons for optional garnish
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a large stock pot on high heat, cook your penne pasta according to the package directions. This will typically take 9-11 minutes for al dente. Once cooked, drain the pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the shrimp and 1 ½ tablespoons cajun seasoning blend to a bowl and toss to completely coat the shrimp with the cajun seasoning.
- Heat a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter, and once the butter has melted, add the seasoned shrimp and minced garlic to the skillet in a single layer.
- Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side or until deep pink color. Transfer the cooked shrimp and garlic to a clean plate and set aside.
- Turn the heat to the skillet down to medium-low. Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes, heavy cream, 1 cup grated parmesan cheese and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons cajun seasoning to the skillet. Stir to combine.
- Allow the sauce to simmer over medium-low heat for 4-6 minutes, stirring often, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet along with half of the cooked shrimp and all the juices, from the plate of reserved shrimp, to the skillet. Stir to coat the pasta and shrimp with the sauce.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, top the sauce coated pasta with the remaining reserved shrimp and optional sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley before serving.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning you use depending on your preferred heat and spice level.
- There are a number of cajun, or creole, seasoning blends on the market. Different brands have different spice heat levels, different spices blended together and different levels of salt used to create each unique seasoning blend. I suggest using your favorite brand for this recipe. McCormick’s brand was used to develop this recipe however, some other popular brands are Tony Chacheri’s, Ragin’ Cajun and Louisiana brands.
- You can substitute the can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with plain diced tomatoes or diced tomatoes with peppers and onions such as Rotel brand. You want to remember that if using a tomato substitute that contains added peppers and onions, this will increase the spice, or heat, level of the pasta sauce.
- You can buy shrimp in bulk from a big box grocery store in the frozen food section. You can get the shrimp already prepped. If you are using frozen shrimp, be sure to thaw them according to the package directions and pat them dry really well with a paper towel before adding them to the hot skillet. If using fresh shrimp, be sure to use it the day you purchase it for the best taste and freshness.
- If you are not purchasing shrimp that has already been peeled, deveined and tails removed, you will need to adjust your prep time to allow for the added time of preparing the shrimp for use in the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 722kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 239mg | Sodium: 1261mg | Potassium: 449mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3540IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 378mg | Iron: 3mg