Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage

Plated shrimp and sausage pasta with a fork and parsley on top.

4.96 from 23 votes

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage

This Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage is a weeknight winner. Spicy, creamy sauce with buttery shrimp topped with roasted red bell pepper chicken sausage creates a melt in your mouth flavor bomb that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 444kcal

Author: Danielle Lima

Ingredients

1 lbs. frozen medium size shrimp (deveined with tails off Waterfront Bistro brand)
4 Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Chicken Sausage Links sliced, (Open Nature Brand)
10 oz. Bow Tie Pasta, Farfalle (Barilla uncooked)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove minced
2 Tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
1 1/3 cup Fat Free Half and Half (300ml)
1/4 cup Parmesan & Romano Shredded Cheese (28g)
1 Tbsp. Cajun Seasoning (for shrimp)
1 Tbsp. Cajun Seasoning (for sauce)
Chopped Parsley for garnish

Cajun Seasoning

3 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
1.5 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
1 Tbsp. dried Oregano
1 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Deforst Shrimp (if needed)

If using frozen shrimp, defrost your frozen shrimp by placing it in a bowl of luke warm water to defrost. This takes 10-15 minutes. Once defrosted, shell devein and pat dry.

Make Cajun Seasoning

In a small bowl mix together all Cajun seasonings and set aside. Please note you will have leftover seasoning and will not use all of this here.

Boil Pasta

Boil a pot of water and cook your pasta according to the package instructions. When draining the pasta I like to leave a little pasta water in as I add it to the pasta sauce to keep the sauce creamy. While the pasta boils, make the shrimp, sausage and sauce.

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Add 1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning to the bowl of thawed shrimp and mix together well to evenly coat.
Add 1 Tbsp. of oil to a pan over medium. Add the shrimp to the hot pan and sear on one side for a few minutes. Flip and add the sausage. Cook until the shrimp is no longer translucent and fully cooked, approximately 5 minutes total. Remove the shrimp and sausage from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan you cooked the shrimp and sausage add in 2 Tbsp. of butter. Once the butter has melted add garlic and sautee for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add 2 Tbsp. flour and stir until you have a thick paste, or roux.
Slowly add the half and half a little as a time to the roux and whisk until the flour is no longer chunky and the sauce begins to thicken. This takes approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add 1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning to the sauce and stir together well. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese in the sauce and mix together well until melted.
Add the cooked and drained noodles to the sauce and mix together to evenly coat. I like to keep a small amount of water in the pasta so that it keeps the cajun sauce nice and creamy.
Add the shrimp and sausage directly to the pasta and mix together well to coat. Top with chopped parsley.

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
If too watery, leave on the stove for longer to thicken up or add flour in small amounts until desired consistency.
If meal prepping, add more milk or half and half in the morning if needed.
Switch out the sausage for your favorite flavor.

If using store-bought seasoning vs. homemade you will want to use less seasoning as they tend to be very salty. Start with half or what’s recommended and adjust to your liking.

Nutrition