Easy 15-Minute Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta

This Cajun shrimp pasta comes together in about 15 minutes (yes, really!) and is made with less than 10 ingredients. Succulent shrimp infused with zesty Cajun spices is served over al dente linguine tossed in a light cream sauce. This meal is easy enough for a weeknight dinner but also fun enough for date night!

 

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta Recipe

You can literally cook the shrimp and make the white wine cream sauce in the time it takes your pasta to boil! The best part about this recipe is that it’s super quick and easy to throw together. This means you can have creamy Cajun pasta on the dinner table even on a busy weeknight!

Ingredients to Make Shrimp Pasta

Linguine

Linguine is a great choice because it holds the creamy Cajun sauce beautifully. But you can also use spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, tagliatelle, penne, or rigatoni.

Olive Oil & Butter

Olive oil and butter are a winning combination when you’re cooking shrimp. The butter adds a ton of flavor and the olive oil raises the smoking point so that you can get a nice sear without browning the butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can adjust the salt flavor myself.

Extra Large Shrimp

I prefer peeled, deveined, and tail-off shrimp for pasta because you can just dig right in. No need to remove the tails while you are in the middle of eating. Feel free to substitute the shrimp with another protein like andouille sausage, scallops, or chicken. You could also use veggies like mushrooms and peppers instead to make it vegetarian.

Cajun Seasoning

Cajun spice takes the flavors of this creamy shrimp pasta dish to the next level. You can use a Cajun seasoning mix from the grocery store but keep in mind that different brands may give you more or less heat. Cajun seasoning can be a bit spicy, so be sure to taste yours before you start adding it to the dish. You can always add more but you can take it out once it’s in!

Dry White Wine

Use a dry white wine that you enjoy drinking. If you prefer to cook without alcohol, just replace the wine with chicken broth or veggie broth.

Heavy Cream

Heavy whipping cream will give you the best flavor and texture. Half and half would work as well but the sauce will be thinner and not quite as rich.

Parmesan Cheese

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will melt into the sauce better so buy a wedge and grate it yourself. If you have leftover Parmesan, use it to make my smoked mac and cheese, baked ravioli, or olive oil bread dip.

Parsley

Fresh parsley adds a bright flavor that really balances out the richness of the cream sauce. A little garnish of parsley adds a beautiful pop of color and a little something special to the pasta.

How to Make Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp to a medium bowl. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Toss to coat the shrimp evenly in the seasoning and oil.

Add seasoned shrimp to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape out the bowl and add any excess oil and seasoning to the pan as well. Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side or until just opaque.

Use tongs to carefully remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add garlic and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to the pan and cook, stirring frequently for about 30 seconds. Add white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the yummy bits off the bottom.

Add heavy cream and Parmesan to the pan along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until the cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms.

Add cooked linguine to the pan and toss to coat evenly.

Add cooked shrimp back into the pan, toss to coat in the sauce, and cook until warmed through.

Stir in fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy!

Tips for Making the Best Cajun Pasta

• Moderately salt your pasta water. Add 2-4 tablespoons of Kosher salt to your pot of boiling water just before adding the pasta. This will become second nature if you don’t already do it. It’s the first chance you have to season the pasta and it makes a world of difference in the taste of the final dish.
• Cook your pasta just until al dente. This will ensure that it won’t get mushy or overcooked when it’s combined with the sauce.
• Dry the shrimp before seasoning! Pat the shrimp dry thoroughly with paper towels. This will help the oil and seasoning mixture to coat the shrimp more evenly and will give it a better sear when it’s cooked.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan with shrimp! This will cause the shrimp to steam instead of searing so you’ll miss out on those delicious golden brown bits on the outside. If you need to cook the shrimp in two batches in order to space them out enough that’s fine.

Variations

There are so many different directions you can take this creamy Cajun pasta. Use it as a blueprint and make it your own! Here are some of my favorite additions:

• fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• sun-dried tomatoes
• diced fresh tomatoes
• sauteed onion, red bell pepper, and mushroom
• baby spinach
• chopped kale
• artichoke hearts
• sweet corn
• zucchini
• asparagus
• tofu or tempeh
• andouille sausage
• shredded rotisserie chicken
• crawfish
• scallops

What is Cajun shrimp pasta?

Cajun shrimp pasta is a quick, easy, delicious, 15-minute weeknight dinner that your whole family will love! Extra large shrimp are tossed in a Cajun-seasoned oil mixture and then sauteed until perfectly tender. Then garlic and a splash of white wine have a turn in the pan before adding plenty of heavy cream and freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. Add in al dente linguine and a handful of fresh parsley and toss to coat everything in the delicious garlic white wine sauce.

Is Cajun shrimp pasta healthy?

I prefer not to refer to my dishes as healthy or unhealthy as I believe that all foods should be enjoyed in moderation – even the “healthy” ones! However, this is a dish you can feel good about feeding your family because you know exactly what’s in it! It’s made with real, whole ingredients – no store-bought sauces or marinades that are loaded with preservatives and hard-to-pronounce ingredients – which means it’s a fresh, fast, and simple dinner!

Is Cajun shrimp pasta spicy?

Cajun shrimp pasta is mildly spicy. Cajun seasoning itself has some bold flavors but they’re tamed when combined with the white wine cream sauce. And you can adjust the spice and seasoning amounts to your taste. If you’re very adverse to spice, start with just half the amount listed in the recipe and add more from there.

How can I thicken cream sauce?

The best way to thicken this Cajun cream sauce is to gently simmer it over medium-low heat. Because there is Parmesan in it, you don’t want to boil the sauce or you’ll end up with a grainy texture. But you can gently simmer it for a couple minutes and it will thicken right up!

Making Cajun Pasta Ahead of Time

This shrimp pasta tastes best when made fresh, however, it’s definitely a good make-ahead option also. If you’re planning to make it ahead of time, I’d recommend storing the components separately.

• Cook the pasta until al dente and toss it with olive oil.
• Cook the shrimp as directed.
• Make the sauce as directed.

Store each part of the dish separately and refrigerate everything for up to 3-4 days until you’re ready to reheat.

Storing Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Freezing Cajun Shrimp Pasta

I don’t recommend freezing Cajun shrimp pasta. The freezing and thawing will cause the sauce to separate and give it an undesirable texture.

Reheating Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Seafood reheated in a pan on the stove will have a much better texture than that reheated in the microwave. Add pasta, shrimp, and sauce to a large saute pan over medium heat. The sauce will thicken as it cools so you’ll want to add a splash of heavy cream to loosen it up and help it coat the pasta a bit more. Cook, stirring frequently, until everything is warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

What Size Shrimp to Use

Picking out what size of shrimp to use can be tricky! This is made harder by the fact that sizing will differ between brands and regions. The most important information to look at is the count – i.e. 12/22, 21/30, 31/40. This will give you a range of how many shrimp per pound. The smaller the two numbers, the larger the shrimp will be. The higher the two numbers, the smaller the shrimp will be.

Here’s some general information about shrimp sizing but please remember that these counts and sizes will vary greatly from brand to brand and also depending on what region you’re in.

Colossal Shrimp (12/22)

Colossal shrimp have 12-22 shrimp per pound. They work best for grilling recipes like skewers or kebabs.

Jumbo Shrimp (21/30)

Jumbo shrimp have between 21-30 shrimp per pound. I like to use this size for pasta. It works well for skewers or kebabs cooked on the grill. This is also a favorite size for shrimp cocktail.

Extra Large (26/30)

Extra large shrimp have 26-30 shrimp per pound and also work well on the grill, in pasta, for shrimp cocktail, or shrimp tacos.

Large Shrimp (31/40)

Large shrimp have 31-40 shrimp per pound. This size will also work well for pasta or shrimp tacos.

Medium Shrimp (41-60)

Medium shrimp have 40-60 shrimp per pound. This size works well for shrimp tacos, shrimp salads, gumbo, or jambalaya.

Small Shrimp (60-80)

These work well for things like popcorn shrimp or seafood dips.

How to Pick the Best Shrimp for Pasta

• When you’re picking out shrimp for pasta, you want to keep in mind that a shrimp that is bite-sized or close to it is ideal.
• You don’t want to use a colossal shrimp as it will be too large for one mouthful and guests will have to use a fork and knife to cut it up.
• You also don’t want the shrimp to be so small that it gets lost in the pasta and sauce!
• Jumbo, extra large, or large shrimp work best for this creamy Cajun shrimp pasta recipe.
• To save on prep time, look for shrimp that are peeled, and deveined, with no tails.

How to Defrost Shrimp

Most shrimp will come frozen but luckily it’s super easy to defrost! Here are your two best options:

• Plan ahead and let the shrimp defrost overnight in the fridge if you’ve got time – about 8 hours or so.
• Use a cold water bath with running water which will take about 30 minutes or so. Place the bag of frozen shrimp inside a bowl in the sink. Fill the bowl with cold water and use a plate or something slightly heavy to weigh the shrimp down and keep it submerged. Run a small steady stream of cold water into the bowl so that water is continuously moving over the shrimp.

How to Know When Shrimp is Cooked

Shrimp is one of those foods that’s deliciously tender and succulent when cooked correctly. But when it’s overcooked it can become very tough and chewy. Here are some tips to help you know exactly when your shrimp is done:

• Color: When the shrimp is cooked, the color will change from gray to a peachy pink color. The shrimp will also look opaque when it’s finished cooking.
• Shape: Once the shrimp curls into a “C” shape or an “O” shape, you’ll know it’s done!

Try These Seafood Recipes Next!

• Cajun Seafood Boil
• Juicy Lobster Tails
• Creamy Lobster Pasta
• Seafood Jambalaya
• Jamaican Pepper Shrimp

Wondering what to serve with shrimp pasta? Try these family favorites!

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