This Cajun shrimp alfredo is a delicious 30-Minute pasta dish that you’ll be having on repeat! It’s made with creamy Alfredo sauce and juicy, well-seasoned shrimp. The sauce is just a little bit lightened up but I think it tastes even better than the traditional version. This dish is really packed with flavor and so easy to make.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious dish:
- Shrimp – thawed, peeled, and deveined. Instead of shrimp, you could also use chicken breast!
- Cajun seasoning – it’s a delicious seasoning mix, it’s quite spicy so you may need to adjust the amount to your taste. We don’t like food that is very spicy so 1 1/2 tablespoons of the spice mix was perfect for us. You can use more if you like things spicer or less. I used a Good Value brand (from Walmart) of seasoning (the spiciness may vary depending on the brand). Check the ingredients of your spice mix, if it contains salt, don’t add any to your shrimp or they may come out too salty. You can also use this seasoning to make these fish tacos with mango salsa.
- Tagliatelle – it’s the best pasta for this recipe but you can also use other types of pasta such as penne.
For the Alfredo sauce:
- fresh garlic
- flour
- heavy cream
- chicken broth and milk – are added instead of cream – they make the sauce a little bit lighter and add flavor
- white wine – adds flavor and acidity to the sauce, it’s really worth using it, if you don’t cook with wine you can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the sauce but it tastes better with wine
- lemon juice – adds acidity and a touch of citrus flavor to the sauce
- parmesan cheese
You could also add andouille sausage to this dish.
If you’d like to add some vegetables to the sauce sauteed onions and cubed bell peppers would be great.
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Cook the pasta al dente well-salted water (it should be soft but it should still have a bite to it). Drain and set aside.
STEP 2: Pat dry shrimp with paper towels, toss with Cajun seasoning (mine already contains salt so I’m not adding any).
STEP 3: Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp in two batches, until browned on both sides and cooked through. Make sure the shrimp is not overcrowded. Place the shrimp in a pan in a clockwise pattern. When it’s browned start to flip it one at a time starting with the first shrimp you have put in the pan going also clockwise (use kitchen tongs or two forks). Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
STEP 4: Reduce the heat to low, add minced garlic (add some more butter if the pan is too dry). Cook it for 30 seconds.
Add flour, cook it, whisking, for a minute.
Add white wine and lemon juice. Cook it, whisking, until the wine is almost evaporated.
STEP 5: Add cream, milk, and broth. Cook for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Make sure to scrape all the browned bits at the bottom of the pot.
STEP 6: Gradually add cheese, whisking after each addition and waiting for the cheese to melt.
Cook the sauce for 1-2 minutes, until thickened. It should be rather runny at this point – it will thicken considerably while cooling.
STEP 7: When all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, season it with salt and pepper and toss with cooked pasta.
STEP 8: Arrange the pasta with sauce on plates, top with cooked shrimp. Squeeze a small amount of lemon juice over shrimp and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Enjoy!
Serving suggestion
- steamed broccoli or cauliflower
- boiled green beans
- mixed greens salad with vinaigrette
Top tips
- How to thaw shrimp: add it into a colander and run under cold water until they’re no longer solid, it will take about 3-5 minutes.
- Do not overcook shrimp: to avoid overcooking shrimp, place it in the skillet clockwise, so you know the order to flip them for even cooking.
- How to tell when shrimp is done cooking: Shrimp cooks quickly. When the shrimp turns white, it’s done! If you are not sure if the shrimp is completely cooked through, cut one in half in its thickest part. The inside should be white and no longer translucent/grey.
- How to buy shrimp: buy fresh shrimp only if it’s good quality. If buying frozen, try to choose individually quick-frozen shrimp, this way you can thaw exactly the amount you need.
- How to properly brown shrimp: make sure it’s dry before you start to cook it. Cook it over high heat or medium-high heat depending on how powerful your stovetop is. Flip it just one time (don’t stir it too often), make sure it’s not overcrowded in the pan.
Storage
This dish reheats well but it would be best to store cooked pasta and the sauce separately. If stored together – the pasta will absorb the sauce a bit – the sauce will be thicker and the pasta a little bit mushy.
To reheat – dilute the thickened sauce with milk or cream and reheat until the sauce until liquid and warm.
More delicious shrimp recipes
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Cajun Shrimp Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettucine 225g
- 1 lb shrimp 450g, thawed, peeled and deveined
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon frying oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 120g
- 1/2 milk 120g
- 1/2 cup chicken broth 120g
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 90g
- lemon juice to squeeze over shrimp
- chopped parsley to garnish
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Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente in well-salted water (it should be soft but it should still have a bite to it). Drain and set aside.
- Pat dry shrimp with paper towels, toss with Cajun seasoning (mine already contains salt so I’m not adding any).
- Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp in two batches, until browned on both sides and cooked through. Make sure the shrimp is not overcrowded. Place the shrimp in a pan in a clockwise pattern. When it’s browned start to flip it one at a time starting with the first shrimp you have put in the pan going also clockwise (use kitchen tongs or two forks). Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to low, add minced garlic (add some more butter if the pan is too dry). Cook it for 30 seconds.
- Add flour, cook it, whisking, for a minute.
- Add white wine and lemon juice. Cook it, whisking, until the wine is almost evaporated.
- Add cream, milk, and broth. Cook for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Make sure to scrape all the browned bits at the bottom of the pot.
- Gradually add cheese, whisking after each addition and waiting for the cheese to melt.
- Cook the sauce for 1-2 minutes, until thickened. It should be rather runny at this point – it will thicken considerably while cooling.
- When all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, season it with salt and pepper and toss with cooked pasta.
- Arrange the pasta with sauce on plates, top with cooked shrimp. Squeeze a small amount of lemon juice over shrimp and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t cook with wine you can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the sauce instead but it tastes better with wine.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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