• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jo Cooks

Simple - Easy - Comfort

Join my free recipe email club!
Free eBook
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
    • The Big Book of Jo’s Quick and Easy Meals
    • 30-Minute One-Pot Meals
  • ABOUT JO
  • Contact
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • One Pot
  • Desserts
Home / Recipes
35 minutes
4.5 from 30 votes
16 Comments

Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta

Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
  • 1845
  • 2192
by: Joanna Cismaru
09.21.19
Updated: 10.03.20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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

  1. Cook the pasta: according to package instructions.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

More Must Try Recipes:

  • Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
  • Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine
  • Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta
  • Creamy Cajun Pastalaya
  • Cajun Meatballs in Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce
  • Shrimp Scampi
  • Cajun Honey Pork Tenderloin
  • Penne Arrabbiata
  • Cajun Chicken Pasta

Looking for more recipes? Follow on… My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram

overhead shot of cajun shrimp tomato alfredo pasta in a pot

Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta

4.5 from 30 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 4
Print Pin Rate
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!

Equipment

  • 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet

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
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Recipe Notes

  1. 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.
  2. You can used crushed tomatoes instead of diced.
  3. To cut down on calories you can use half and half or a light cream.
  4. You can use sausage or ground beef if you don’t like shrimp.
  5. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used. 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 732kcal (37%)Carbohydrates: 73g (24%)Protein: 33g (66%)Fat: 34g (52%)Saturated Fat: 17g (106%)Cholesterol: 296mg (99%)Sodium: 1097mg (48%)Potassium: 570mg (16%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 1870IU (37%)Vitamin C: 16mg (19%)Calcium: 300mg (30%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
Course:Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine:American, Cajun
Keyword:cajun shrimp, shrimp, tomato alfredo pasta
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

30 recipes from around the world cover.

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

side view shot of a strawberry chocolate chip scone broken in half exposing the center
Previous Post
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones
stuffed chicken breast sliced on a plate with basil
Next Post
Cheese and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment & Rate Recipe Cancel reply

Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. annette snyder says

    October 29, 2020 at 10:34 am

    holy crap! this looks yummy and I’m going to make it–or a version of it for supper tonight. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

    Reply
  2. Rae says

    September 30, 2019 at 5:59 pm

    2 words…The Bomb! Tweaked it just a tad used Italian seasoned diced tomatoes and stewed. It’s a keeper…thank you!

    Reply
  3. Larry H McCurley says

    September 23, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    5 stars
    I doubled the recipe except for the pasta. I also used tomato’s with green Chile’s since it was all I had on hand. Family loved it. I have a very picky 12 year old who went back for 3 helpings and I caught my oldest catching a bedtime snack of it. Will definitely be repeating this one. Have you tried a dash of Cayenne with it.

    Reply
    • jo says

      September 24, 2019 at 9:46 am

      I haven’t but that sounds like a great idea! Happy to hear you guys enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply
  4. Nicole says

    April 3, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!

    Reply
  5. Briana says

    May 12, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    5 stars
    Can I used crushed tomatoes instead of diced or will that mess up the consistency?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      May 13, 2018 at 9:10 pm

      I think crushed tomatoes will work just fine.

      Reply
  6. Sanna says

    August 22, 2016 at 8:15 am

    5 stars
    There are ingredients that are imported by necessity, but are generally perceived as expensive, fussy and snobbish. Add to that how 99% of the time they’re prepared wrong, and the reputation is in tatters.

    With this recipe, I finally convinced my 61-year old mother that shrimp is not the root of all evil! In fact, she and I both loved this!

    Reply
  7. Myra K. says

    June 26, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    4 stars
    This was wonderful, even though I didn’t have Cajun seasoning (smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and seasoning salt was a great substitute) the flavor was excellent. This satisfied my tomato cravings. I do have a question; could zucchhini noodles from a spiralizer be a good substitute for the pasta noodles to cut carbs?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      June 26, 2016 at 2:38 pm

      Yes, absolute, but I’d make a bit less sauce because pasta soaks up that sauce whereas zucchini noodles won’t really soak up much sauce, but yeah great idea!

      Reply
  8. Carol G says

    June 20, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    Jo, I made this tonight and oh we loved it!!! I loved the amount of spice it had but husband gave it more of a kick with cayenne. He told me this one is a keeper. Thank you so much!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      June 20, 2016 at 8:05 pm

      Glad you guys liked it Carol!

      Reply
  9. Michelle says

    June 19, 2016 at 10:54 am

    5 stars
    I am gonna make this dish. What about adding sausage. I don’t like to alter people’s recipes, but the addition of sausage sounds awesome.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Michelle

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      June 19, 2016 at 11:57 am

      Sausage would work great here, some spicy chorizo? 🙂

      Reply
  10. Carol G says

    June 13, 2016 at 7:35 am

    This recipe looks delicious!! Would it also work with fat free half and half?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      June 13, 2016 at 8:43 am

      Yes, absolutely!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Joanna Cismaru

Hey there!

I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More…
cover for the big book of jo's quick and easy meals.

My Cookbook

Pre-Order Now: Amazon | Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Books-A-Million

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

Sign me up

Dinner Recipes

a wooden spoon lifting a salisbury steak out of the skillet

Salisbury Steak

closeup of beef stew in a dutch oven with a ladle inside.

Beef Stew

overhead shot of zucchini lasagna in a baking dish

Zucchini Lasagna

a white bowl full with american goulash and a fork inside stacked on top of an empty bowl

American Goulash (Chop Suey)

two plate with sloppy joes and buns next to a greens salad

Sloppy Joes

beef barley soup in a white bowl with a spoon inside.

Beef Barley Soup

overhead shot of chicken broccoli and rice casserole in a pot

One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

creamy chicken lazone in a skillet garnished with parsley.

Chicken Lazone

Popular Now

a hand dipping a chicken tender in ranch dressing

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

a fork stabbing a garlic butter steak bite in a skillet full of them

Garlic Butter Steak Bites

a prime rib roast sliced on a plate

Prime Rib Roast

side view shot of a cinnamon bun with a bite taken out of it on a plate

Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls

side view shot of a hand dipping a piece of naan bread into the bowl of chicken tikka masala

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

close up of the layers on the homemade croissant

Homemade Croissants

overhead shot of crusty bread loaf

No Knead Bread

side view shot of two halves of a chicken salad sandwich stacked on a plate exposing the centers

The Best Chicken Salad

Jo Cooks...

Flavors from around the world

No matter what household we have all grown up in, there is something that has brought us all together here and that is a love and appreciation of food. Food that is from cultures and cuisines across the world has always been a staple of the blog. I'm excited to bring you all a taste of each corner of the earth, every last bite seasoned to perfection and served up with love - from my kitchen to yours.
honey soy chicken in a baking dish fresh out of the oven garnished with parsley.

Asian

closeup of italian mac and cheese in a white bowl with a big serving spoon.

Italian

a stack of homemade tortillas

Mexican

chocolate magic cake slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and garnished with garnish.

Romanian

a bunch of naan on a cutting board garnished with parsley.

Indian

red lentil hummus in a big black bowl garnished with a bit of smoked paprika.

Middle Eastern

Trending Now

overhead shot of oven baked chicken breasts in a baking dish

Baked Chicken Breast

overhead shot of oven baked chicken thighs in a pan

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

a whole roast chicken surrounded by potatoes

Roast Chicken

a prime rib roast sliced on a plate

Prime Rib Roast

Browse All
  • Easy Dinners
  • Instant Pot
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Chicken Recipes
  • Desserts
  • Recipe Index

Featured On

today logo.
huffpost logo.
the washington post logo.
jezebel logo.
countryliving logo.
good housekeeping logo.
lifehack logo.
buzzfeed logo.
mashable logo.
woman's day logo.
health logo.
better homes & gardens logo.
delish logo.
healthline logo.
nbc news logo.
blogloving logo.
university of washington logo.
shape logo.
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
  • About Jo
  • Contact
  • visit my other site: Craving Home Cooked
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
© 2021 · All Rights Reserved · Back to Top
Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Subscribe and get a free dinner recipes ebook!

35815shares
  • 1845
  • 2192