One of my personal favorites since I adore all things creamy, spicy, and pasta-related. You’ll love how quickly it comes together, ready in about 30 minutes in just one pan. One of the best pasta dinner recipes for a busy night.
This is just the right amount of spicy, but you can adjust it if you don’t like spice. It’s comforting but never boring. Hope you love it.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
The sauce is spicy as written, but you can reduce or leave out the cayenne or red pepper flakes. If you have a homemade Cajun seasoning (or store bought blend!), you can switch that out with no problem. If you’re using frozen shrimp, make sure you thaw and pat them dry. You can use chorizo or smoked sausage if you can’t find the andouille sausage. If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use half and half but I strongly prefer the heavy cream.
This makes 6 servings. You can double the recipe but the pasta won’t fit at the end so mix it all together in a separate pot. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- ½ pound fettuccine pasta
Cajun Seasoning
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Meat and Veggies
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion (diced)
- 1 red pepper (cut into thin strips)
- 1 green pepper (cut into thin strips)
- 1 orange pepper (cut into thin strips)
- 1 pound large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 8 ounces andouille sausage (sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds)
Alfredo Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (finely grated)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
How to Make
If you’re doubling this recipe, you’ll probably need to mix everything in a bigger pot at the end because it won’t all fit in the skillet.
Step One: Mix your Seasoning First
Dump all those spices in a bowl – salt, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Give it a stir and set it aside.
Step Two: Get your Pasta Going
Fill a big pot with salted water and get it boiling. Toss in the fettuccine and cook it however the box says until it’s al dente. Drain it and drizzle a little oil on top so it doesn’t turn into a clumpy mess.
Step Three: Cook the Veggies
Heat up your cast iron skillet (or whatever heavy pan you’ve got) over medium heat. Add the oil, then throw in your chopped onion and all those colorful peppers. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of that seasoning mix on top. Let them cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring them around until they start to soften up. Scoop them out onto a plate.
Step Four: Cook the Meat
Crank the heat up to medium-high in that same pan. Add your sliced sausage and let it get nice and browned – about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Then add the shrimp with another tablespoon of seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp turn pink. Don’t overcook them or they’ll get rubbery. Move everything to that plate with the veggies.
Step Five: Time for the Sauce
Turn the heat down to low and add your butter to the pan. Once it melts, pour in the cream and stir it around with all those good pan drippings. Add the lemon zest and parmesan. Let it simmer for a minute or two, stirring constantly, until it thickens up a bit. Taste it and add salt and pepper if it needs it.
Step Six: Put It All Together
Dump the sausage, shrimp, and veggies back into the pan with the sauce. Give it a stir and let it heat up for about a minute. Add your pasta and toss everything together until the pasta’s coated with all that creamy goodness. Serve it up right away.
Serving & Storing
Sprinkle this with fresh parsley and serve with a glass of white wine, an Italian house salad, and homemade crusty sourdough rolls.
This is a tricky one, as anything like this does not reheat great.
Let the leftovers cool down before you pack them up for the fridge in an airtight container.
To reheat, slowly reheat the refrigerated Alfredo on the stove on low heat for best results. If the sauce has thickened in the refrigerator, a splash of milk and cream often helps.
More Spicy Cajun Recipes
- This cast iron skillet Cajun pasta uses almost the same ingredients! Perfect for the rest of your sausage and shrimp.
- These deep fried Cajun chicken tenders aren’t very spicy so the kids will like them too.
- Make your own homemade Cajun ranch dressing to dip your tenders in.
- Crispy Cajun wings are restaurant quality right in your kitchen.
Printable Recipe
Cajun Fettuccine Alfredo
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- ½ pound fettuccine pasta
Cajun Seasoning
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Meat and Veggies
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion (diced)
- 1 red pepper (cut into thin strips)
- 1 green pepper (cut into thin strips)
- 1 orange pepper (cut into thin strips)
- 1 pound large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 8 ounces andouille sausage (sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds)
Alfredo Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (finely grated)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Mix seasoning. Mix the salt, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside, tossing with a little oil to prevent sticking.
- Cook veggies. Heat a large cast iron skillet or other heavy-duty pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Once hot, add the chopped onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the prepared Cajun seasoning. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened. Transfer the vegetables to a clean plate and set aside.
- Cook meats. In the same skillet, increase heat to medium-high. Add the sliced andouille sausage and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned and slightly crispy on the edges. Stir occasionally to make sure an even browning. Then, add the shrimp and another tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and cooked. Remove the shrimp and sausage to the plate with the veggies.
- Make sauce. Reduce heat to low and add the butter to the skillet. Once melted, pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine with the pan drippings. Add the lemon zest and grated Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper if necessary.
- Add pasta and garnish. Return the cooked sausage, shrimp, and veggies to the skillet with the sauce. Stir to combine and reheat for about 1 minute. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss everything together to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped parsley and additional Cajun seasoning if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Love,
I made this tonight, and it was outstanding!!! Will definitely be making it again.
hi Kristie! hooray! so glad you liked the recipe 🙂