This creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe makes for the BEST pasta dinner ready in under 30 minutes! Plump and juicy Cajun shrimp in a creamy Cajun sauce mixed with pasta.
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If you love easy pasta dinners in a creamy sauce like our Feta Pasta, creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta, or Chicken Alfredo Pasta, this Cajun Shrimp Pasta is a must-try.
Cajun Shrimp Pasta Recipe
This simple pasta dish is such a great recipe to make, not only for busy weeknights but even a fancy dinner. Cajun Shrimp Pasta is a flavor-packed spin on our Creamy Shrimp Pasta and our Cajun Chicken Pasta. You’ll love the buttery and tender shrimp tossed in a spicy Cajun seasoning and coated in creamy tomato alfredo pasta sauce with penne noodles.
Pro Tip:
Cajun seasoning food is typically spicy, as it includes cayenne pepper in its ingredients. You can add more or less cajun seasoning to adjust the level of spice in this dish. Different brands can be more or less spicy as well (see FAQ section). If you want it even spicier, you can add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
How to Make Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Pasta– Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Keep some of the pasta water for the sauce then drain the pasta in a colander.
- Shrimp– Peel and devein the shrimp. Toss the shrimp into the cajun seasoning and saute in oil over medium heat until opaque, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and cover to keep warm.
- Sauce– Saute garlic with butter until fragrant, add the tomatoes. Add heavy cream, cajun seasoning, and parmesan and bring to a simmer.
- Combine – Add the shrimp back in along with the pasta and stir to coat in sauce. Add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce if desired.
- Serve– Top with freshly grated parmesan and fresh parsley to serve.
Serve Cajun Shrimp Pasta With
This hearty pasta dish is perfect to serve on its own, but we love to pair it with a fresh Caesar Salad or any of these easy sides:
- Easy Garlic Bread
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Panzanella Salad
- Coleslaw
- Grilled Zucchini
- Corn on the Cob
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best results, you will want to use large fresh shrimp that are peeled and deveined. We love 21-25 count. You may also use frozen shrimp and thaw according to package instructions before using.
We don’t recommend using already-cooked shrimp. If you cook shrimp a second time, it will become tough and rubbery. Also, cooking raw shrimp in the pan infuses the sauce with more flavor than using pre-cooked shrimp.
You can substitute the penne for any other pasta such as rigatoni, ziti, mostaccioli, or elbow pasta.
You can use any of your favorite store-bought Cajun seasoning, but they do vary in spiciness, from spicy cajun to a more mild cajun.
You can definitely add your favorite vegetable to the shrimp pasta. Onion, bell peppers, asparagus or green beans would all work great. Sauteed mushrooms are also a delicious add-in.
If your sauce is runny, then you did not simmer the sauce long enough. Also, make sure to use HEAVY whipping cream which has a higher fat content than regular whipping cream and don’t skip the parmesan cheese which helps thicken the sauce.
I hope this creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta becomes a new family favorite for you. It comes together fast and is perfect for busy weeknights.
More Cajun Recipes
- Grilled Cajun Shrimp Skewers
- Easy Shrimp Boil
- Baked Cajun Shrimp
- Shrimp Fajitas
- Shrimp Cobb Salad
- Chicken and Mushroom Cajun Pasta
- Cajun Beef Fajitas
Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp cajun seasoning, divided *or added to taste depending on brand used.
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- 2 Tbsp parsley to garnish, (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the penne pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Keep some of the pasta water for the sauce then drain the pasta and cover to keep warm.
- Coat the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the cajun seasoning. In a deep skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the seasoned shrimp in a single layer and saute for about 1-2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp is no longer translucent, remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter with the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add in the diced tomatoes and saute for about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream, remaining 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning and grated parmesan cheese. Bring to a simmer then reduce to medium/low heat and continue 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Add the shrimp and pasta back into the skillet and stir until the noodles are coated in sauce and everything is heated through. If needed, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce. To serve, garnish with more parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Pasta – Substitute the penne for any other pasta such as rigatoni, ziti, mostaccioli, or elbow pasta
- Vegetables – You can add your favorite vegetable to the shrimp pasta such as onion, bell peppers, asparagus, green beans, or even sauteed mushrooms.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Awesome recipe. Totally got the name, Chef, after preparing this in the house 😄
That’s so great, Josh! I’m so happy your family loved this!
Love all your recipes. We added shallots abd asparagus. Kids were licking their plates. Definitely a keeper!
Hi B! That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Excellent. We have tried a few of the other recipes on this site and they have all been very good. But this one was by far my favorite. Will definetly be making this again. Thanks for the great recipes!!
Hello Jenn, you are so welcome! Thanks for your good comments and feedback, I appreciate it.
This was so yummy.
My mom, my wife and I all loved it. Next time I will add less Cajun spice so that my six year old daughter can enjoy this super pasta too. This was really finger licking good.
Sounds like a good plan. Glad your family enjoyed this recipe, thank you for sharing that with us.
Tried this recipe, and as it is, it is just OK at best. I ended up tripling the amount of cajun spice on the shrimp. After pouring in 1 cup of cream, I realized it was going to end up soupy. I only used the 1 cup cream, and still ended up thickening it when done. I didn’t have a full pack of linguine, so I also added Penny, half each. When I make this again, it will be penne only. When serving it to eat, it really lacked a cajun pizzazz. So I sprinkled more cajun seasoning on before eating
Sounds good, Richard. Thanks for sharing your experience making this recipe!
Tried this recipe for the first time today because we finally had temps under 90 today and rain. Simple and delicious!!!
Sounds perfect, thanks for giving this recipe a try, Sandra. Good to know that you loved it!
Delicious! I added fresh baby spinach.
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Winner in my house !! Love trying new things this was so simple and delicious!!! I used tomato paste it came out 😍😍
We love trying new things too! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Betsy!
If I can ask, how much tomato paste did you use? We don’t like tomatoes here but can handle paste or smooth sauce.
So glad I came across this recipe. This dish was so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Tasted as good as any restaurant seafood pasta but much more cost effective 🙂 My partner raved over it and said it was one of the best dishes I’ve made. I will definitely make this again!!
It totally does taste the restaurant-quality! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Shelley!
Just made Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta! Wow! It was a great hit! The whole family loved this so much. Super easy to make and very easy instructions to follow. This is going to be a once a month dish for sure!😋😉
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful. I used whole wheat pasta. I don’t ever have heavy cream and we were out of parmesan so I used milk and a block of 1/3 fat cream cheese. I also added a bag of fresh spinach. I sauteed an onion prior to the garlic because I put onion in everything. Was so good!! Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome, Julie! I”m happy to know that you loved this recipe.
Hi Natasha!! I absolutely loved this recipe, so easy and simple! Also I go to this restaurant called Teresa and they have this meal in their menu and I almost get it every time because it that good, and now I can make it at home anytime! Thank you!!!
Isn’t it awesome? You can now make your favorite recipe anytime you crave it! I’m so happy that you loved it.
Hi Natasha!! I absolutely loved this recipe a lot! I went to this restaurant called Teresa and I get this meal every time because it’s that good as it was literally a copy-cat, and now I can make it at home anytime! Thank you!!!
Oh and when I meant like it was a copy-cat I meant that it was lovely and it tasted the same and I loved it!
Totally get it, loved your feedback! Thanks so much.
Thank you, Victoria for your great review!
Yummy quick and easy recipe, added chicken to the recipe and turned out delicious! Thank you
You’re welcome, Tatyana! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Mines tasted extremely salty. We couldn’t even eat it. Any ideas why it might of happened?
Oh no — that’s a bummer! I’m curious if the ratios were off by chance? We salt the water for pasta, is it possible that was oversalted? Also, make sure you’re using unsalted butter!
The slap yo mama seasoning that is linked to in the recipe above was way too salty to use two table spoons. The recipe is definitely off there. Otherwise flavors are good
agreed. Unfortunately after trying to surprise my husband with this recipe (followed to a T) he said the same thing. And I agree that it’s too salty too. Maybe next time if we try this again, use 1/2 tbsp to cook the shrimp and the other 1/2 into the sauce. I HOPE even that isn’t too salty
Can you omit the tomatoes? Family doesn’t like them 🙁
Hi Zara, I haven’t tried making it without tomatoes yet. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
This was easy to make and really delicious!
Thank you for your good review, Sue!
Can I use Old Bay Seasoning instead of Cajun Seasoning?
Hi Fivi, yes old bay seasoning would work well here also.
Can you use chicken instead of shrimp?
Hi Jessica! Yes, that will work! I hope you love this recipe.
Made this for dinner and I picked this recipe since I follow you on Facebook and it was delicious! My husband loved it as well!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Veronica! I’m so glad you discovered my blog and this recipe!