Name: Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 12 oz pasta (uncooked, such as fettuccine); 12 oz large shrimp (uncooked, shells removed); 1 tbsp cajun seasoning; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp butter; 1 small onion (chopped); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 15 oz diced tomatoes ((1 can)); 3/4 cup heavy cream; 1 oz Parmesan cheese (grated); 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste); 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste); 3 leaves fresh basil (chopped for garnish)

Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta – a one pot dish of a simple and delicious tomato Alfredo sauce tossed with your favorite pasta and pan seared cajun shrimp. Dinner couldn’t get any easier!

overhead of a skillet of Tomato Alfredo Pasta with shrimp

Last night I was in the mood for pasta, as it often happens, so flying by the seat of my pants I made up this concoction with diced canned tomatoes which I pureed first, onions and garlic, some heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, of course. As I’ve said many times before, the best recipes turn out when you throw stuff together that you happen to have in your pantry and hope for the best.

But let’s face it, this dish really is two dishes in one. Cajun Shrimp and Tomato Alfredo Pasta, which if you’ve never tried before, it’s to die for. I decided to season the shrimp with some cajun seasoning and cook it in a skillet. It’s something I do often with shrimp as I really love cajun spice and find that it’s perfect on shrimp. Never tried a tomato Alfredo sauce? Well you’re about to be a convert.

What Is Cajun?

When we’re talking about food, Cajun is usually referring to a spice blend which originated from Acadians living in Louisiana. Dry Cajun spice blend is made of paprika, cayenne pepper, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

Ingredients

Pasta – Any dry pasta you’d like! Like fettuccine, linguine, mafalda, bow ties, whatever!
Shrimp – Large shrimp with the shells removed.
Cajun – I’m using store bought cajun seasoning today, I consider this spice blend a staple in my pantry!
Olive oil and butter – Combining these 2 to brown our ingredients gives us all that brown butter deliciousness with none of that burnt butter bitterness.
Onion – 1 small onion chopped up to be sautéed.
Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
Diced Tomatoes – 1 entire cans worth.
Cheese – Fresh Parmesan cheese grated up and sprinkled liberally!
Cream – I used heavy cream today but feel free to use a different fat percentage if you’d like to make this dish lighter.
Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
Basil – Fresh leaves chopped up.

searing shrimp in a pan for Tomato Alfredo Pasta

How To Make Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta

Cook the pasta: according to package instructions.
Prep the shrimp: While the pasta is cooking, season the shrimp with the cajun seasoning. In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and cook on both sides until pink, it shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
Saute the sauteables: Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and the butter to the skillet and heat until butter melts over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, then cook for about 3 minutes until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
Create the sauce: While the onion is cooking pour the tomatoes in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Add the tomatoes to the skillet, bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finish the dish: Add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese to the skillet, and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the cooked pasta and shrimp to the skillet and toss everything well together.
Garnish: with fresh basil and more Parmesan cheese if preferred, and serve immediately.

How To Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning

Want to make your own jar of Cajun seasoning? Use my recipe here, it’s really easy, all you need are a few ingredients which you likely already have in your pantry.

How To Prep Your Shrimp

You’ll want to start at the small legs on the shrimp. Simply pull those off and the rest of the shell should start to release. Pull off the rest of the shell – but keep the tails on. To remove the vein along the top simply cut a slit with a small knife down the middle of the shrimp’s back before removing the black vein with the tip of your knife.

Alternatives

Instead of shrimp you can use sausage, chicken or ground beef.
Rather than diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes will work beautifully
To cut down on calories you can use half and half or a light cream.
I used a type of pasta that’s shaped like calamari. Since that’s not super easy to find, you can use any type of pasta that you like.

overhead of Tomato Alfredo Pasta with shrimp and basil

Leftovers

This recipe will last well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 – 4 days. If you’d like to freeze this recipe you may want to only make the sauce and store for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge over night and make the pasta fresh as needed.

Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta