Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta Recipe
472kcal
Equipment
- a deep sautepan (12 inch or larger)
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail on)
- 10 oz linguine
- 2 cajun-style andouille sausage links (slice)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 oz thinly sliced yellow onion
- 5 oz thinly sliced red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons cajun seasoning (divided)
- 1 teaspoon ground smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cups finely crushed tomatoes ( I used Mutti)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 4 oz cream cheese (cut into small pieces and bring it to room temperature)
Method
- Bring a gallon of water to a boil in a large pot. Add ½ tablespoon of salt to season the water. Once the water is boiling, cook the pasta until it is al dente (firm to the bite), while you simultaneously prepare the sauce and other ingredients. Reserve at least ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and black pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes until they turn opaque. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate.
- In the same skillet, brown the sausage for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and red bell pepper until they become softened.
- Add garlic to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant.
- Stir in 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar.
- Add tomatoes and broth. Quickly scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Once the sauce is simmering, add the cooked pasta, pasta water, and sausage. Stir to combine.
- Add the cooked shrimp to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese is evenly incorporated and the sauce becomes smooth.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning (cajun spice blend, cayenne pepper, or salt) if needed.
Nutrition
Calories472kcalCarbohydrates46gProtein24gFat22gSaturated Fat7gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat10gTrans Fat0.1gCholesterol133mgSodium730mgPotassium553mgFiber4gSugar6gVitamin A1896IUVitamin C35mgCalcium97mgIron2mg
Notes
- Depending on the size of your skillet, you might have to cook the shrimp in multiple batches and use more oil as needed.
- To prevent burning while sautéing the onion and bell pepper, you can add a small amount of broth to deglaze the pan and prevent sticking.
- Go easy on the Cajun seasoning. Not all store-bought Cajun spice blends are the same. Some may have a lot of salt or different proportions of spices. That's why it's a good idea to start with a small amount of the spice blend. You can add more later if needed to control the salt and spice levels from the get-go, as it’s hard to come back when there’s too much added early on. I have a homemade recipe for a Cajun seasoning with no-sodium-added that you can make at home.
- How to adjust the sauce consistency. If the sauce is too thin, you can easily remedy it by adding more cream cheese. On the other hand, if the sauce turns out too thick, you can effortlessly thin it out by incorporating additional pasta water.
- Canned tomatoes and sugar. I added just a little sugar to counter the acidity of the tomatoes. It's worth noting that some canned tomatoes can be quite acidic, so you might want to adjust the sugar amount in the sauce to suit your taste. I strongly suggest opting for high-quality canned tomatoes that have a milder acidity level.
- Go easy on the salt. In this recipe, I omitted salt because the Cajun spice blend already contains a significant amount of sodium. If you prefer a saltier result, I suggest adding salt right at the end to avoid oversalting the pasta.
- You can store the leftover Cajun shrimp pasta in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to five days.