This Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta is an easy ONE-POT weeknight meal! Pasta is cooked in a creamy tomato sauce that is perfectly seasoned with delicious Cajun flavors! This delicious comfort food meal is an easy dinner that comes together in about 30 minutes!
14oz.Italian sausage or andouille sausagecasings removed, if necessary
10oz.raw shrimp, peeled and deveinedmedium or large (I used 40/50 count)
1large red bell pepper, sliced or diced
2 1/2cupsuncooked pastafusilli (corkscrew) and pasta shells work well
115 oz.can crushed tomatoes
2tspItalian seasoning
2tspCajun seasoningcan also use Creole seasoning
3 1/4cupschicken broth or stockSee Note 1
3-4sprigs fresh thyme
4heaping tablespoons of cream cheese, softened or room temperatureabout 4 oz (See Note 2)
grated Parmesan, green onions, lemon juice optional, for serving
salt, fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
Prep: In a small bowl, season the shrimp with half of the Italian seasoning (1 tsp) and half of the Cajun seasoning (1 tsp). Season with a little salt and fresh black pepper. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and mix well.
Cook Shrimp: In a large skillet, pot or dutch oven (make sure it has a lid) over medium high heat, add the shrimp. Cook for just a couple of minutes until no longer pink. This will happen very fast! Remove shrimp and set aside.
Add Veggies: In the same pan, add onion and bell peppers until they start to soften (about 2-3 minutes). Add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Season with remaining Italian and Cajun seasoning.
Cook Sausage: To the onions and peppers, add sausage. Cook about 3-5 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon. Pro tip: In the last minute of cooking, use a potato masher to break up the meat--it gets it broken up nice and fine!
Add Pasta: Add the dry pasta, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and thyme springs. Give everything a big stir to get all the yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 13-15 minutes, until pasta is cooked al dente. Stir every so often to ensure the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom. Remove and discard thyme sprigs.Note: 13-15 minutes cooks fusilli pasta to al dente. If you use another pasta shape you may have to adjust the cooking time a bit.
Make it Creamy: Stir the softened cream cheese into the pasta and mix well. Gently fold in cooked shrimp (plus all the juices from the plate)!
Taste & Season: Taste, and season with salt and pepper or more Cajun seasoning ONLY if needed. The sausage, chicken broth, and Cajun seasoning will contain a good amount of salt so no need to add additional salt unless needed.
Serve: Garnish with green onion and lots of fresh Parmesan cheese! Add some red pepper flakes or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper if you want a little kick! A squeeze of lemon juice is also delicious!