Cajun Shrimp Alfredo with Cajun Shrimp and Cajun Seasoning is delicious and creamy. This restaurant-inspired dinner is made with some healthy swaps and a simple homemade alfredo sauce and lots of rich parmesan cheese. Made in less than 30 minutes this easy meal is perfect for weeknights but still fancy enough for a weekend dinner party.
Love Alfredo Pasta? Also, try my Blackened Salmon Alfredo and Low Calorie Cottage Cheese Alfredo.
Cajun Shrimp Alfredo recipe
This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo is the perfect combination of rich creamy pasta and tender, plump, perfectly seasoned shrimp. The dish starts with creamy fettuccine alfredo and is then topped with delightful Cajun Shrimp seasoned with my Homemade Cajun Seasoning. It's bursting with flavor and the creaminess of the pasta pairs perfectly with the slightly spicy shrimp.
The fettucine alfredo is made with lower calorie half-and-half instead of healthy cream. It's a great way to still make a satisfyingly, creamy alfredo sauce and cut back on the calories a bit. My Cajun Shrimp Pasta features al dente fettuccine pasta in the homemade sauce, plus tender and tender shrimp. It's rich without feeling too heavy.
This entire Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes, making it a great addition to your weekday meal rotation. Plus, it's a great way to get more seafood in your diet!
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Why You'll Love this Cajun Shrimp Alfredo recipe...
- This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo is so good! It rivals any restaurant pasta dish.
- It has the rich and creamy alfredo sauce you crave, but in a slightly healthier recipe.
- You can make this with just a few dishes in less than 30 minutes.
- It's gorgeous for a weeknight dinner or even a dinner party.
- It's a great way to add seafood to your menu.
Ingredients:
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Cajun Shrimp Alfredo, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.
For the Cajun Shrimp:
- Shrimp: For the Cajun Shrimp I like to use large (21-25 count) or extra large and jumbo. For a big shortcut, buy peeled and deveined shrimp, but make sure they are raw and not cooked. Don't be afraid of frozen shrimp either, most shrimp are frozen just after catching them anyway, even if you see them at the seafood counter. The best way to thaw out your shrimp is to put them in the fridge overnight. In a pinch, you can also, put them in a ziplock bag and submerge them in cool water until thawed.
- Cajun Seasoning: You need Cajun Seasoning for this dish! Cajun spice Seasoning is a spice blend of rich flavor-filled ingredients like smoked paprika, sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, cayenne, and salt and pepper. It's a touch spicy, but more just flavorful. They sell it in stores, or you can easily make your own with my Cajun Seasoning recipe with ingredients that are probably already in your pantry. It is very similar to Blackened Seasoning but is not the same. You can, however, replace this with Blackening Seasoning if that's all you have.
- Butter: You'll need a touch of butter. Butter is a key flavor in traditional Cajun cooking, so I used it here. To keep this recipe lighter you can trade out olive oil or avocado oil, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is the way to go for maximum flavor, and sticking to the true Cajun style of cooking
- Garnish: Lemon slices and parsley
For the Homemade Alfredo Sauce:
- Half and Half: My healthy swap is using half and half. Many alfredo recipes call for heavy cream, but this one uses half and half to keep it lighter. You can also use milk but it will not be as rich, thick, or creamy. Half and half is a nice compromise in terms of taste, texture, and calories.
- Cream Cheese: I added a touch of cream cheese to thicken the sauce without the fuss of using flour. It makes this recipe nice and indulgent!
- Butter: You'll need a little more butter to make the sauce.
- Minced Garlic: I use a hearty helping of garlic to make this dish extra rich.
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese is a rich key flavor to this dish. It's a key flavor in alfredo sauce.
- Italian Seasoning: I like to add a touch of Italian Seasoning to my alfredo to bring out the flavors. Use store-bought or make your own Homemade Italian Seasoning with my recipe. It's made with basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
- Parsley: I like bringing the sauce to life by adding in some fresh chopped parsley.
- Salt and Pepper: To taste. This dish is already pretty salty from the parmesan cheese, so you might not need to add much but a touch of black pepper is nice!
For the Salmon Alfredo Pasta:
- Pasta: Look for a high-quality fettuccini noodles or linguine pasta, but you can use any type of pasta you have.
- Garnish: You'll need some extras for garnish including more parmesan cheese and extra parsley.
Instructions:
This is an overview of the instructions to make this Cajun Shrimp Alfredo, but the full detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.
For the Cajun Shrimp:
- Follow the instructions for making Cajun Shrimp. You will sauté the raw shrimp in butter and Cajun Seasoning until cooked.
For the Homemade Alfredo Sauce:
- After cooking the Cajun shrimp, you'll need to prepare the Alfredo Sauce. Over medium heat in a non-stick large skillet, melt the butter.
- Add the minced garlic to the butter and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the milk or half and half and the softened cream cheese. Mix until well combined.
- To the sauce, add the parmesan cheese and Italian Seasoning.
- Stir until the sauce thickens to desired texture, which should be around 5-7 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water.
To Finish the Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Pasta:
- Cook the pasta in a pot according to package instructions in boiling water. Drain the pasta, reserve some of the pasta water.
- In the same pan you cooked the sauce, add the cooked pasta to the pan with the alfredo sauce and use tons to toss and coat the noodles. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Toss in the parsley.
- Plate your pasta onto four plates. Put the Cajun Shrimp on top of the pasta.
- Garnish the pasta and Cajun shrimp with with the extra parmesan cheese and parsley.
Variations
I love this Cajun Shrimp Alfredo recipe as written, but here are some fun variations.
- Add More Veggies: To increase your vegetables add veggies to this dish! Great options are peas, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, onions, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes.
- Make it Gluten-Free: To easily make this gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Mix up the Protein: You can make this with Blackened Salmon, Blackened Swordfish, or Blackened Mahi. Even Blackened Chicken, if you eat it! Smoked salmon would also be amazing.
- Make it Cajun: Too add more Cajun flavoring to the Cajun Shrimp Alfredo add Cajun Seasoning instead of Italian Seasoning to the alfredo sauce. It will give the entire dish a Cajun kick.
- Add Sausage: You can also add andouille sausage to this.
- Make it Spicy: Kick up the spice level with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce. As written this dish is more flavorful than spicy.
FAQ
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftover of this Cajun Shrimp Alfredo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave under 30-second increments until warm. I like to add a few drops of milk to my alfredo before heating it to bring it back to life. I also like to reheat my shrimp separately because they can reheat differently and you want to microwave the seafood for as little time as possible so it doesn't continue to cook and get dry.
I would not recommend freezing this recipe.
What goes well with shrimp alfredo?
This dish goes well with any sort of roasted vegetable or salad. You also can't go wrong with garlic bread!
Cajun Shrimp Alfredo is a Great Family Dinner
This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo makes a yummy family dinner. This fabulous dinner looks fancy, but is so easy to make and is sure to wow your family or guests. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Make it a Meal:
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Parmesan Garlic Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Mushrooms and Broccoli
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Lemon Garlic Sautéed Kale
- Tuscan Melon Salad
- Arugula and Pear Salad
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More Cajun Recipes To Try:
- Homemade Cajun Seasoning
- Cajun Shrimp and Rice
- Healthy Cajun Remoulade
- Cajun Shrimp
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Cajun Shrimp Burger
More Shrimp Recipes to Try:
25+ Healthy Shrimp Recipes including Shrimp Taco Bowls, Shrimp Terikai, and Shrimp Fajitas
If you make this Cajun Shrimp Alfredo recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
Cajun Shrimp Alfredo
Ingredients
For the Cajun Shrimp:
- 1 recipe Cajun Shrimp
For the Alfredo Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
To Finish the Dish:
- ½ pound fettuccine pastsa, cooked according to package instructions
- Garnish: parsley and parmesan cheese
Instructions
For the Cajun Shrimp:
- Follow the instructions for making Cajun Shrimp in the recipe link above. You can use this same pan to assemble the pasta and sauce.
For the Alfredo Sauce:
- Over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter.
- Add the minced garlic to the butter and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the milk or half and half and the softened cream cheese. Mix until well combined.
- To the sauce, add the parmesan cheese and Italian Seasoning.
- Stir until the sauce thickens to desired texture, which should be around 5-7 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water.
To Finish the Dish:
- In the same pan you cooked the sauce, add the cooked pasta to the pan with the alfredo sauce and use tons to toss and coat the noodles. Toss in the parsley.
- Plate your pasta onto four plates. Put the Cajun Shrimp on top of the pasta.
- Garnish the pasta and Cajun shrimp with with the extra parmesan cheese and parsley.
Notes
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftovers of this Cajun Shrimp Alfredo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave under 30-second increments until warm. I like to add a few drops of milk to my alfredo before heating it to bring it back to life. I also like to reheat my shrimp separately because they can reheat differently and you want to microwave the fish for as little time as possible so it doesn't continue to cook and get dry. I would not recommend freezing this recipe.Cooking Note
When preparing the pasta, set aside some of the pasta water before dumping it in case the sauce is too thick.Nutrition
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