Cajun Shrimp Scampi
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Cajun Shrimp Scampi is creamy, garlicky and just a little spicy! Scampi style shrimp over spaghetti in a delicious light cream sauce. Plus – it’s a quick dinner – ready in less than 15 minutes.
What You Will ❤️ About Cajun Shrimp Scampi
- So Quick! I love a dinner I can make from start to finish in 15 minutes!
- Shrimp! There’s nothing better than a buttery garlic shrimp dish!
- Creamy – jut a little cream and cheese to make the sauce even more tempting.
Cajun Shrimp Scampi Ingredients
I love when simple ingredients come together for a delicious dish. Shrimp is the star here – but put it all together and your family will love it!
- Spaghetti – You can use any pasta – spaghetti, angel hair or linguine are my faves for scampi pasta
- Sweet yellow onion – Vidalia are great – avoid white or red as they’ll have too much bite for the dish
- Garlic – go with fresh garlic over the jarred kind if you can for more flavor
- Butter – salted or unsalted is fine
- White Wine – I buy the little bottles and use for cooking but you can also use chicken broth
- Cajun Seasoning – I like the Slap Ya Mama seasoning – it’s spicy but simple with just Salt, Red Pepper, Black Pepper and Garlic.
- Raw Shrimp – I always buy raw, peeled, deveined, tails off – who wants to pick tails out of a pasta dish?! I never understand that in a restaurant.
- Heavy Cream – just a touch will make your sauce delish! You can also use half and half if you like.
- Parmesan Cheese – again – just a couple of tablespoons mixed with the cream for flavor
- Italian Parsley – I’ve got my AeroGarden going and am growing my own!
- Lemon – one lemon is perfect: half in the sauce, half as a garnish
Recipe Variations
- Skip the Pasta – feel free to skip the pasta and serve this in a bowl with some crusty bread
- Skip the Cream – if you want a more traditional scampi – skip the cream & cheese – I like to cool the heat of the Cajun seasoning with the cream
- Veggies – there are onions in this but mushrooms or diced tomatoes would be delicious as well!
- No Heat – if Cajun is too spicy for you – swap and use Italian seasoning
- Scallops – love seafood? Add scallops for even more seafood!
How to make Cajun Shrimp Pasta Recipe
This is a very simple recipe – while the pasta cooks – you get the shrimp scampi going and then mix it together! Done!
- Heat a large pot of water and boil pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and lower heat to medium heat and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add garlic and sauté for 1 minute
- Add butter, wine, juice from 1/2 lemon and cajun seasoning. Stir and simmer to reduce sauce by half.
- I like a mild spice – so if you’re a big fan of cajun spice and want more kick – feel free to add more seasoning
- Add shrimp to pan with wine mixture and cook 1-2 minutes per side until fully cooked – the shrimp curls and turns from opaque to white so you’ll know it’s ready – it cooks very quickly!
- Pour in cream and 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese to pan and lightly whisk into sauce
- Transfer cooked & drained noodles to shrimp mixture and remove from heat and toss shrimp & pasta to combine.
- Serve in bowls and top with remaining shrimp scampi sauce, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or grate a little lemon zest on top. If you want more spice – you can add more Cajun seasoning or red pepper flakes!
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass storage ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Or if you’d like to reheat a larger portion – add a little oil to a skillet and, once hot, add leftovers. Add a few tablespoons of cream to the pan and toss with pasta. The sauce separates less when using this method for reheating.
Because of the cream – I wouldn’t recommend it. Your shrimp will also be rubbery when you reheat.
You definitely want to salt your pasta water but the cajun seasoning has salt in it – so no need for extra. You can add salt to taste when you serve.
Remove shrimp from the freezer and place shrimp in a large bowl of cold water. Swish around every 10 minutes and it should be thawed in about 15-20 minutes.
Yes of course – mix together 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp thyme and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.
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Cajun Shrimp Scampi
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water and boil pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain and set aside.1 lb spaghetti
- Heat oil in a large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat.2 tbsp olive oil
- Add onion and lower heat to medium heat and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add garlic and sauté for 1 minute1/2 sweet yellow onion, 3-5 cloves garlic
- Add butter, wine, juice from 1/2 lemon and cajun seasoning. Stir and simmer to reduce sauce by half.I like a mild spice – so if you're a big fan of cajun spice and want more kick – feel free to add more seasoning8 tbsp butter, 3/4 cup white wine, 1 tbsp cajun seasoning, 1 lemon
- Add shrimp to pan with wine mixture and cook 1-2 minutes per side until fully cooked – the shrimp curls and turns from opaque to white so you’ll know it’s ready – it cooks very quickly!1 lb large raw shrimp
- Pour in cream and 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese to pan and lightly whisk into sauce1/3 cup heavy cream, 3 tbsp parmesan cheese
- Transfer cooked & drained noodles to shrimp mixture and remove from heat and toss shrimp & pasta to combine.
- Serve in bowls and top with remaining shrimp scampi sauce, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or grate a little lemon zest on top. If you want more spice – you can add more Cajun seasoning or red pepper flakes!3 tbsp parsley
