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. And honestly that’s what we all need. Especially during the middle of the week.
My creamy cajun pasta is cozy, hearty and delicious. Pan seared smoked sausage and shrimp in a cajun cream sauce. Tossed with linguine noodles and topped with parmesan cheese. You can’t go wrong with this creamy cajun pasta.
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 Cajun pasta?
Cook pasta– boil your favorite pasta in a pot of salted water, according to the package instructions
Cook protein– season shrimp with a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, Tony’s seasoning and garlic and herb seasoning. Slice smoked sausage into half moons. Cook the sausage in a skillet until browned. Remove from the pan, then cook shrimp in the rendered sausage fat. Once cooked, remove from the pan.
Make the sauce– Add butter and oil to the same pan. Saute diced onions until fragrant. About 3 minutes, before adding minced garlic. Saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add in sun-dried tomatoes and saute, then pour in heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and season with cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Tony’s, cayenne pepper, seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta water if needed. Then add in the cheeses. Mix on low until the cheese melts and is well incorporated into the sauce.
Serve– Toss linguine in the sauce until completely covered. Top with squeeze of lemon juice, parsley, and more 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
Creamy Sausage & Kale Rigatoni
Lasagna Soup
Easy Cherry Tomato & Basil Pasta
Creamy Coconut Ramen
Creamy Cajun Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 box linguine noodles
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream more if you plan to make more noodles
- 1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- 2 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
Protein
- Smoked turkey sausage cut into half moons
- 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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