This Cajun shrimp and Pasta is a quick, easy, and flavorful stand-alone seafood meal. It’s a satisfying comfort seafood pasta at its best. It’s delicious in its simplicity, and it takes about 30 minutes to put together from start to finish.
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Spaghetti is one of my all-time favorite go-to pasta dishes, especially when I need to prepare a quick but elegant meal. The thing I love about this meal is that you can add different fresh vegetables.
This recipe has a wonderful balance of flavors – The shrimps in this pasta are seasoned to perfection with paprika, thyme, salt, and black pepper. It is then cooked in garlic-infused oil.
The combination of pasta and shrimps is always a winner in my home and I always keep shrimp in my freezer (I buy in bulk when they are on sale in my grocery store). It comes in handy for so many dishes. I especially love shrimps with Pasta, Rice, Salad, and Stir-fries.
I always love to vary the addition of vegetables in this meal, depending on what I have at hand or what is available for the season. Apart from bell peppers, I love sweet corn. Green peas, and Green beans, and diced carrots in my pasta.
I also like to have some heat in my meal, so I add some red pepper flakes. You can also add cayenne pepper or minced habanero or just leave this out if you don’t want the heat. Talking about spice, you may want to check out my seafood Jambalaya recipe. It’s so good and can be served as weeknight dinners just like this shrimp pasta.
How to Boil Pasta Al-dente
When boiling the pasta, it is very important to cook it just past the point of raw, a.k.a. “
To do this, start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Don’t forget to use a large pot with lots of water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, you can then add the pasta to it and some salt to taste.
After the pasta has been cooking for about 6 to 8 minutes, try tasting one piece to check for doneness. If the piece still remains crunchy at the middle, continue cooking it in 30-second intervals and keep tasting one piece at a time until it’s firm but no longer crunchy.
Other recipes you might want to try:
- Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
- One-pot Chicken and Rice
- Shrimp Stir fry
- Skillet Potatoes
- Mushroom Rice
- Creamy Red rice and beans
- Ground Beef Pasta
- Cajun Jambalaya Pasta Recipe with Shrimps, Chicken, and Sausage
Notes
- For the pasta, I used spaghetti but you can use the fettuccine or Linguine.
- Don’t overcook your Shrimps, you will not like it if you do!
- Don’t overcook your pasta. Please refer above to see how to cook your pasta perfectly.
Easy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
Shrimp
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil divided
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
Sauce
- 3 large tomatoes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 bunch of basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and boil till al-dente. Drain the excess water and set it aside.
- Season shrimp with paprika, thyme, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook for a minute. Add the shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes or till cooked through without any gray on the inside.
- Add and stir fry the bell peppers about 2 minutes before the shrimp gets done. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Put the remaining two tablespoons of oil in the pan and stir in the diced tomatoes. Then cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the tomatoes release their juices and become soft.
- Add the soy sauce, chili pepper flakes, black pepper, thyme, and chicken stock, and let it come to a boil.
- Stir in the pasta and leave to get heated through about 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the basil leaves, shrimps, and veggie mixture.
Nutrition
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Oby
Thursday 8th of October 2020
It is very nice and delicious. I just tried it and my family loved it and enjoyed it
Lola Osinkolu
Saturday 10th of October 2020
I'm so happy to hear that. Thanks for the feedback. ππππππ
Emese
Tuesday 23rd of July 2019
Well, anything with cajun spice is awesome. Thanks for this quick and easy pasta recipe.
Beth
Tuesday 23rd of July 2019
Quick, tasty and elegant - this is my kind of recipe!
LINDSEY PINE
Tuesday 23rd of July 2019
You've got two of my favorite foods in this recipe! Pasta and shrimp are never a bad idea! :)
Kristine
Tuesday 23rd of July 2019
You had me at easy! Made this on a busy weeknight and it was delicious! We enjoyed every last bite. I'll make this again, thank you!