My creamy Cajun pasta is the epitome of comfort and flavor. It features sun-dried tomatoes, pan-seared smoked sausage and succulent shrimp bathed in a luscious Cajun cream sauce, combined with linguine noodles, and topped with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The dimension of flavor is top tier. It’s absolutely delicious and will become your new favorite.
One of my favorite lazy meals to make is pasta. It tastes like you spent all day on it, when in reality it only took 25-30 minutes to whip up. And honestly that’s what we all need. Especially during the middle of the week.
You really can’t go wrong with this creamy cajun pasta.
Ingredients for Creamy Cajun Pasta
Here’s what you’ll need to make this pasta.
- Linguine– or pasta of choice
- Heavy Cream– alternatively you can use half and half.
- Butter– unsalted, that way you can control how much salt is in the dish.
- Smoked Sausage
- Shrimp
- Onions– yellow onion.
- Garlic– minced. The more the better. I highly recommend using fresh if you can.
- Cheese– I used a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheese
- EOO- extra virgin olive oil
- Sun-dried Tomatoes– Feel free to use fresh cherry tomatoes, but I love the depth of flavor sun dried tomatoes give this dish. My favorite are these.
- Seasonings– I used a variety of pantry staple seasonings in this dish. Garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, parsley, Cajun seasoning, of course. etc.
- Lemon juice– I like adding fresh citrus to my pasta. It adds the perfect tang.
I have been cooking up a storm lately and honestly needed something easy and quick I know my whole family will love. So pasta was the obvious choice.
How to make this Creamy Cajun pasta?
This recipe is very simple to make-
Cook pasta– Boil your favorite pasta (e.g., thin linguine) in salted water following the package instructions.
Prepare protein– Season shrimp with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, Tony’s seasoning, and garlic and herb seasoning. Slice smoked sausage into half-moons. Cook the sausage until browned in a skillet, then remove it. Cook the shrimp in the rendered sausage fat for about 3 minutes, then remove them from the pan.
Make the sauce– In the same pan, add butter and oil. Sauté diced onions for about 3 minutes until fragrant, then add minced garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, pour in heavy cream, and bring to a simmer.
Season with cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Tony’s, cayenne pepper, seasoned salt, and pepper to taste. If needed, thin out the sauce with pasta water. Add cheeses and mix on low until melted and incorporated into the sauce.
Serve– Toss linguine in the sauce until fully coated. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice, parsley, and additional cajun seasoning. Enjoy!
Alternatives–
- feel free to substitute with chicken or salmon. Or go the vegetarian route by using mushrooms.
- This pasta is completely customizable, add peppers, spinach or mushrooms if you’d like.
Storage Suggestions
Pasta can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Tastes even better the next day btw 🙂
More pasta recipes to try
If you try this Creamy Cajun Pasta I’d love to hear your feedback. Please be sure to leave a comment, and/or tag me on Instagram @cookwithci #cookwithci. I would love to see your recreations and hear your thoughts.
Creamy Cajun Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 box linguine noodles use more if desired
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream more if you plan to make more pasta
- 1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella
- 1 tbsp Tony's No Salt seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Kinder's no salt garlic and herb seasoning
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- seasoned salt or salt and pepper to taste
- cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes use to your discretion
- 1/4 cup pasta water
- 1/2 lemon juice, optional
- Smoked turkey sausage cut into half moons
For the Shrimp
- shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp Tony's No Salt seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Kinder's No Salt Garlic & Herb
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
For the pasta
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook noodles al dente (they'll continue to cook with the sauce towards the end)
For the meat
- In a medium bowl, season shrimp with onion powder, garlic powder, Tony's no salt seasoning, garlic and herb seasoning and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix until shrimp is well coated.
- Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Sear sausage until browned, about 5 minutes. Once the sausage is cooked, remove from the pan and add in the shrimp. Add more oil if needed. Sear shrimp until cooked, then remove from the pan.
For the sauce
- Add 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil to the same skillet. Once the butter begins to bubble, add in onions and saute for a few minutes before adding in minced garlic. Saute for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add 1 heaping spoonful of sun-dried tomatoes. Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a low simmer. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, Tony's, garlic and herb seasoning and seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well combined. Add in a little pasta water if needed.
- Reduce heat to low, add cheese mixing continuously until the cheese is melted and well incorporated. Add back in the sausage and shrimp. Then the noodles. Toss until everything is combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Top with parsley and more no salt cajun seasoning.
- Serve in a bowl and top with fresh lemon juice, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Did you make it?
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