Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 25 minutes · Total: 40 minutes · Serves: 6 · Equipment: large pot, 12-inch (30 cm) skillet or sauté pan, wooden spoon, fine grater
One skillet, one pot of water and a handful of jars from the spice rack. That is all this Cajun shrimp and sausage pasta needs. There is no jarred sauce and no long list of vegetables to chop: the flavor comes from a homemade Cajun-style spice blend, smoky sliced sausage and the browned bits that shrimp and sausage leave in the pan, which melt into a butter, cream and Parmesan sauce.
It is a weeknight dinner that tastes like a restaurant plate, with tender shrimp, chewy rigatoni and a sauce with real heat behind the cream. The sauce also behaves as long as you follow two simple rules: keep the heat gentle once the cream goes in, and add the cheese a little at a time. Toasted buttered baguette on the side catches whatever is left in the bowl.
Ingredients
For the Cajun spice blend
- 1 tbsp paprika – the base of the blend and most of its color. Smoked paprika adds a deeper, campfire note.
- 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp onion powder – savory depth without any chopping.
- 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper – the main source of heat; use 1/4 teaspoon for a milder sauce.
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes – little bursts of heat in the sauce.
For the pasta
- 1 lb (450 g) rigatoni – wide tubes with ridges hold a creamy sauce well. Penne or another short pasta works too.
- 1 lb (450 g) medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed – tail-off shrimp are easier to eat mixed into pasta.
- 8 oz (225 g) smoked andouille or Cajun sausage, sliced into coins – fully cooked smoked sausage only needs browning.
- 4 tbsp (55 g) butter, divided – half for searing, half for the sauce.
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream – full-fat cream resists curdling better than lighter options.
- 1 cup (about 85 g) finely grated Parmesan – grated from a block. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that make a sauce grainy.
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley – for color and freshness.
To serve
- 1/2 baguette, sliced, and 2 tbsp butter – toasted in a pan until golden.
How to Make It
1. Mix the spices and season – 5 minutes
Stir all the spice blend ingredients together in a small bowl. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Put the shrimp and sliced sausage in a bowl and toss with half of the blend. Keep the other half for the sauce. Every piece should be lightly coated in red-orange spice.
2. Brown the sausage – medium, 4 to 5 minutes
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the skillet over medium heat, add the sausage in a single layer and cook, turning once, until both sides are browned. The coins should have dark, crisp edges, and there should be browned bits stuck to the pan.
3. Sear the shrimp – medium, 2 to 3 minutes
Push the sausage to the side, add another tablespoon of butter and lay the shrimp flat in the pan. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Move the shrimp and sausage to a plate. Shrimp are done when the flesh is pearly white and opaque all the way through, the doneness cue given in the FoodSafety.gov safe cooking chart, and they curl into a loose C shape. A tight O means they are overcooked.
4. Cook the pasta – about 10 to 12 minutes
Add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about a minute less than the package directions. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. Meanwhile, toast the baguette slices in 2 tablespoons of butter in a second pan, or in batches in the skillet before you start the sauce. The pasta should be tender but still have a little bite in the center.
5. Make the cream sauce – medium-low, 4 to 5 minutes
Lower the heat under the skillet to medium-low and melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, scraping up the browned bits. Pour in the cream, add the rest of the spice blend and let it simmer gently, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes. The cream should bubble lightly at the edges, never boil hard, and coat the back of a spoon.
6. Add the Parmesan – low, 1 to 2 minutes
Turn the heat to low. Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding the next. Taste and adjust the salt and cayenne. The sauce should be smooth and glossy, with no strings or lumps of cheese.
7. Combine and serve – 2 minutes
Add the drained pasta and toss until every piece is coated. Return the shrimp and sausage, keeping a few aside for the top, and stir in a splash of pasta water if the sauce feels thick. Divide among bowls, top with the reserved shrimp and sausage and the parsley, and serve with the toasted baguette. The sauce should flow slowly around the pasta rather than sit in clumps.
Choosing the Sausage
The sausage seasons the dish as much as the spice blend does, so the type you buy changes the result. Andouille is the classic choice in Cajun cooking, but it is not the only one that works.
| Sausage | Flavor | How to use it here |
|---|---|---|
| Pork andouille | Smoky, garlicky, with noticeable heat | The classic match; brown it as written |
| Chicken andouille | Smoky and spicy, a little leaner | Same method; add a little extra butter to the pan |
| Smoked kielbasa | Smoky and garlicky, mild | Good for a less spicy pasta; keep the full cayenne |
| Spanish chorizo (cured) | Paprika-heavy, firm | Slice thinly; it releases red, flavorful oil, so use less butter |
| Fresh Italian or raw sausage | Mild or hot, herby | Remove the casing and cook through completely before adding the shrimp |
Most andouille and kielbasa sold in supermarkets are already smoked and cooked, so they only need color. Check the label, though: raw sausage needs to be cooked all the way through, not just browned.
Keeping the Parmesan Sauce Smooth
A cream sauce with Parmesan can go wrong in two ways: it turns grainy, or it separates into a greasy layer with clumps of cheese. Both usually come down to heat and to the cheese itself.
Heavy cream can simmer gently without splitting thanks to its high fat content, but Parmesan is different. When it hits a sauce that is too hot, its proteins tighten into strings and push out fat. Lowering the heat before the cheese goes in and adding it in small handfuls gives each addition time to melt evenly. Finely grated cheese melts faster than coarse shreds, which is why a fine grater is on the equipment list.
Pasta water is the safety net. The starch in it helps the fat and liquid stay together, and it loosens a sauce that has thickened too much while you were plating. Add it a tablespoon or two at a time.
Serving and Storing
Serve the pasta as soon as it is ready, while the sauce is loose and glossy. A crisp green salad balances the richness. If you prefer a lighter shrimp dinner on another night, the garlic butter shrimp with broccoli uses the same quick sear, and the creamy Cajun chicken pasta soup turns similar flavors into a bowl of soup. For another creamy Parmesan dinner without the heat, try the creamy garlic Parmesan chicken.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and eat them within 2 days, since shrimp lose their texture quickly. The sauce thickens as it cools. Reheat portions gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of milk or water, stirring until it is steaming hot all the way through, 165°F (74°C). A microwave works at medium power, stirring every 30 seconds, but high heat makes the sauce oily and the shrimp rubbery. Cream sauces do not freeze well, so this is a dish to cook and enjoy fresh.
Find more weeknight ideas among the dinner recipes.
Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the spice blend. Pat the shrimp dry, then toss the shrimp and sliced sausage with half of the blend; keep the rest for the sauce.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat and brown the sausage, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp butter and the shrimp. Cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, until pearly white and opaque. Move shrimp and sausage to a plate.
- Cook the rigatoni until al dente, reserving 1 cup pasta water before draining. Toast the baguette slices in 2 tbsp butter until golden.
- Lower the skillet to medium-low, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter, scraping up the browned bits. Add the cream and remaining spice blend and simmer gently, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the Parmesan a handful at a time until smooth. Adjust salt and cayenne.
- Toss in the pasta, then the shrimp and sausage, loosening with pasta water as needed. Top with parsley and serve with the toasted baguette.