This Cajun shrimp dinner delivers all the comforts of a creamy pasta dish, with a smoky Southern kick. It has maximum Cajun flavor with minimal effort.
In fact, keeping it simple is exactly how I learned to make Cajun shrimp pasta when I was growing up in Louisiana. No need for a fancy cream sauce with flour, butter, or tomatoes (especially because those ingredients would make it French Creole, not Cajun!). For the cream sauce, all you need is heavy cream, Cajun seasoning, and pasta water. The sauce will thicken up just beautifully without the added frills.
Another perk: Because there’s no flour in the cream sauce, the pasta can be swapped out for gluten-free noodles. You can also add your choice of stir-fried vegetables like mushrooms or bell peppers.
A Few Tips
The garlic is already doubled. Every true Cajun will tell you that they double the garlic in every recipe they cook, and I am one of them. So I took the liberty of calling for four cloves of garlic for the extra garlicky flavor we Cajuns love.
Don’t skip the Andouille. Hands down, every great Cajun pasta recipe has Andouille sausage. Doesn’t matter if it’s paired with shrimp or chicken—andouille is the common denominator in a delicious smoky Cajun pasta. Luckily, Andouille is widely available these days at large grocers like Sprouts, Walmart, and Target.
Go for jumbo Gulf shrimp. If you can get your hands on it, jumbo Gulf shrimp for a Cajun shrimp pasta is quintessential. I’ve discovered during my time living in Colorado and now California that Walmart reliably stocks Gulf shrimp and other seafood like Louisiana crawfish. Sprouts often has Gulf shrimp in stock as well. In terms of size, larger shrimp are better because they are more succulent and do not overcook as easily as smaller ones.
Serve immediately after cooking. This pasta is best served immediately after cooking, as the cream sauce will be at its peak consistency. If it cools and you need to reheat, add a few tablespoons of water or cream to the skillet and cover on medium heat to bring the cream sauce back to life.
