A recipe for spicy, creamy pasta with cajun sausage and shrimp. Ready in less than 30 minutes, and loved by all.
Table of contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s quick and easy with no veggies to chop
- Super flavorful: the lemon, cream, and cajun seasoning are a great combination
- It’s the perfect dinner when you want something a little different but don’t feel like making something complicated.
🧂 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of the page.
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You’ll need the following for this easy, creamy pasta.
- penne pasta
- large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- andouille sausage
- cajun seasoning (make fried cajun wings with the rest of it!)butter
- heavy cream
- lemon zest
- grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
🥣 Equipment
- large cast-iron skillet
- sharp knife
- large pot for the pasta
- colander
🍴Instructions
Step One: Cook the Pasta and the Meats
Start first by getting the pasta water boiling. Everything comes together quickly, so you’ll want that going right away. I prefer penne pasta but it’s totally up to you.
Start heating up the cast-iron skillet over medium heat. You’ll want it nice and hot before you start cooking the sausage so that it will brown. Place the sliced andouille sausage into the hot skillet and let it brown on both sides. While it’s cooking, toss the shrimp and cajun seasoning together in a small bowl. (Love your cast iron skillet? You’ll love smoky skillet pasta too!)
Once the sausage has browned, add the seasoned shrimp to the skillet. They will cook quickly, in just a couple of minutes. You don’t want to overcook them. Once they are cooked through, remove the sausage and shrimp to a clean plate.
Step Two: Make the sauce
There may be some cajun seasoning stuck to the pan. No worries. It will all be captured by the cream sauce in just a minute. Reduce the heat to low and pour the cream in. It will bubble a little, that’s okay. Scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure you get all the flavor into the sauce. Stir in the parmesan and the lemon zest. Let the sauce simmer for just a minute, until the parmesan is melted.
Step three: Assemble
Take the cooked sausage and shrimp and pour them right into the skillet. When the pasta is done, drain it and put it into the skillet as well. Serve it right away, with parsley and additional parmesan cheese if you’d like.
🥫 Storage instructions
This recipe will reheat just fine in the microwave on low. Add a bit more cream before heating it up and stir halfway through.
Cream sauces do not freeze well.
🔍 FAQs
If you make your own, great! If not, I like Louisiana brand.
Yes! Milk or half and half will curdle when you make the sauce.
Sure!
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- Frozen shrimp is just fine for this recipe. Most grocery store “fresh” shrimp is just the thawed frozen stuff anyway.
- Make sure you are taking care of your cast iron by seasoning it well!
- Feel free to add red onion or bell pepper to this. Sautee them when you cook the meats, then add them back in at the end.
📘 Related Recipes
- Love Cajun seasoning? Me too. Try my homemade Cajun Ranch dressing.
- If you love one-pot meals, I bet you’ll like pork chops with creamed spinach.
- Serve this dish with homemade sourdough rolls and a green salad for a simple meal.
📖 Here’s the recipe
Print the recipe here
Cast Iron Skillet Cajun Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound penne pasta
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 8 ounces andouille sausage sliced
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to as boil and cook the penne pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Combine the cajun seasoning and the shrimp in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a large cast iron skillet (or other heavy duty pan) over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the sausage and cook until browned. Do not stir constantly, allow the sausage to brown. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook about 2 minutes, until cooked through. Remove sausage and shrimp to a clean plate and set aside.
- Turn down the heat to low. Place the butter in the skillet. Pour the cream in (it will bubble up) and stir the pan to mix all the seasonings into the cream. Add the lemon zest parmesan cheese and stir. Allow the cream sauce to simmer 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. Add in the cooked sausage and shrimp and combine. Taste for seasonings and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Add the cooked pasta and stir. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and extra parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Enjoy this quick and tasty dinner!
So delicious. 10/10 loved it. Made my own Cajun seasoning and added a little extra to the sauce while simmering to spice it up. Turned out great.