Cajun Seafood Pasta Recipe
Try this seafood pasta recipe with a Cajun twist. It turns a classic creamy pasta dish into something new with a zesty blend of spices.
When I am in the mood for a warm and delicious comfort food, often times, I find myself to go for a rich and creamy pasta dish. This kind of meal is filling and satisfying for everyday dinners or special meals like this shrimp and scallop scampi recipe I created a while ago. Today’s seafood pasta has a new twist. Cajun influences mix things up from the normal Alfredo pasta to add excitement to your dinner.
Components of This Hearty Seafood Pasta
In this recipe, you will balance the lightness of shrimp and scallops with filling pasta and a satisfying cheesy cream sauce. The seafood gives you a dose of healthy fats, protein and vitamins and minerals — and of course, great flavor! For the base of the sauce, you’ll use different cheeses along with heavy whipping cream. Then, season with salt, crushed red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper, as well as flavorful herbs including fresh basil, thyme, parsley and green onion. This mixture of herbs and spices provides the kick of zesty Cajun flavor and the health value of antioxidants. These seasonings fuse into the sauce, elevating the flavor of the dish as a whole.
Switching Up Your Pasta
You see, pasta night doesn’t always have to mean spaghetti and meatballs. There is a lot you can do with pasta, which this seafood pasta recipe shows. To play with pasta, it’s all about the sauce. For this recipe, you cook the seafood in the sauce within one pan, add it to the plated pasta, and that’s all there is to it! This is a fancy, flavorful meal that’s quick and easy to make! By combining the shrimp and scallops for pasta night, this recipe gives you a great way to include more seafood in your family’s diet.
Now, I would like to hear from you. What’s your favorite pasta sauce that you’ve tried? Leave a comment below and let me know.
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Cajun Seafood Pasta Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Cajun, Italian
Description
Creamy seafood pasta with a Cajun twist.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry linguine pasta
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 cup chopped green onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 pound sea scallops, sliced horizontally
- 3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for 9 minutes according to the package instruction.
- Meanwhile, pour the cream into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until it just starts to boil, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat to medium low, add basil, thyme, parsley, and green onion. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Gently stir and simmer for 8 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Increase heat to medium, add shrimp and scallops, cook until the seafood turns from translucent to opaque, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in swiss cheese and parmesan cheese until it’s melted and blended well.
- Drain the pasta, divide into 6 even portions and place into serving bowls.
- Pour equal amount of the seafood sauce on the pasta in each serving bowl. Serve!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 629mg
- Fat: 21.9g
- Saturated Fat: 12.5g
- Carbohydrates: 61.8g
- Fiber: 3.4g
- Protein: 30.8g
- Cholesterol: 163mg
About the Author
Sharon Chen is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and author of the Complete Sous Vide Cookbook. She believes food not only brings healing but also connection. As the creator of StreetSmart Kitchen, she aims to make meal prep easier than ever and help you find balance, ease, joy, and simplicity in the kitchen as you improve your well-being.
I made this tonight for my family and it was a hit!!! I will definitely be making this again 💜
Great to hear. Thanks for letting me know, Nita! <3
I have made this before for about 5 people.
I am hosting a dinner party in a few days and am having 13 over. Any tips on tripling the menu?
Anything I can do in advance?
Thanks
Hi Mark! I think what you can do beforehand is to have everything prepared but no cooking until right before your gathering. For instance, you can have the right amount of shrimp and scallops ready to go and set in the fridge. Have all fresh herbs chopped up and wrap them in a damp paper towel. (I don’t recommend you do this too early so you get to keep the herbs’ freshness.) You can also have cheese prepared if you don’t use store-bought shredded cheese. Hope this is helpful. Can’t wait to hear how things turn out for ya!
Thus is an awesome recipe !
Thanks Michael! Glad that you like it. Cheers!
I tried this and I love how it turned out! Will definitely cook this again.
This looks amazing. I would love to make this for myself since I can’t for my family. My daughter is allergic to fish and seafood so I would have to enjoy this for my own personal lunch one day.
Do it!! I really hope you enjoy this seafood pasta. Please let me know how it goes once you get a chance to make it. Cheers! 🙂
My husband loves seafood pasta and wishes I’d make it more. Your photography is beautiful.
Thank you! Hope you and your husband enjoy this one. 🙂
Seafood is my fave! Such a great recipe
This looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it out!