This cajun shrimp pasta with a homemade cajun spice blend, tender juicy shrimp, bell peppers, and bowtie pasta, tossed in a creamy sauce. This easy cajun shrimp pasta dish has few ingredients, but packed full of flavor!
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Instructions
Bring a pot of salted pasta water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water prior to draining.
In a small bowl, mix together all the spices: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. Reserve 1 tbsp of this cajun seasoning and set aside. In the bowl with shrimp, add 2 tbsp olive oil and the cajun seasoning (minus the 1 tbsp you're reserving). Mix until shrimp are fully coated.
In a dutch oven or high walled skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter. Cook shrimp in one even layer for 1-2 minutes on each side or until they form a "C" shape. If you cannot fit them in one even layer, then cook them in batches. Remove and set aside.
Return the cooked shrimp to the sauce and stir to coat. Add in al dente cooked pasta and turn the heat off. Stir until pasta is fully coated in sauce. You can add a few tbsp of pasta water at a time to the sauce if needed. Top with additional chopped parsley and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Removing shrimp tails
When removing tails from peeled shrimp, you want to keep all the meat that's in the tail. Grab one shrimp and pinch at the very back of the tail, this will release the meat from inside, and none will go to waste!
Pasta
For this recipe, I used bowtie pasta. This recipe will work with any pasta shape, so use what you have on hand.
Heavy cream
You can substitute half & half for the heavy cream, but sauce will not be as thick.
Storing/freezing/reheating
To store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Allow pasta to fully cool, place in a freezer safe container or store flat in freezer ziplock. Defrost overnight in refrigerator.
To reheat: Reheat in microwave until shrimp are warmed through.
*See in-post for step-by-step photos of preparing and cooking the dish*