Description
Cajun Shrimp Pasta with a spicy and rich cream sauce is a quick and easy dinner recipe with just the right amount of kick!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 1 pound raw shrimp, deveined, cleaned, tail removed
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Season: Combine the raw shrimp with the Cajun seasoning and the olive oil in a bowl.
- Boil: Add kosher salt to a pot of water and bring to a boil.
- Cook Pasta: Add penne pasta to the salted boiling water and cook to al dente doneness.
- Reserve: Before draining, scoop out at least 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
- Sauté Shrimp: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat; add shrimp in a single layer and cook until golden brown on each side, then transfer to a plate.
- Simmer Cream: Add heavy cream to the pan, scrape the bottom, and allow the cream to bubble around the edges.
- Melt Cheese: Reduce the heat to low and stir in the parmesan cheese to melt.
- Combine: Add the cooked pasta and shrimp and stir to coat.
- Adjust: If the sauce needs to be thinned, add the reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time.
- Finish: Taste and add additional salt, if desired.
Notes
Use a Microplane cheese grater for the parmesan to ensure it melts instantly into the sauce. If using store-bought Cajun seasoning, start with a small amount to control the salt level.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 429 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 1919 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 255 mg
Keywords: Cajun Shrimp Pasta, spicy cream sauce, quick dinner, seafood pasta, creamy penne