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My Cajun alfredo is made with tender shrimp, flavorful sausage, and a spicy cream sauce. This easy 30 minute meal tastes like something you splurged on at a restaurant.

penne pasta in a Cajun alfredo sauce with andouille sausage and shrimp.

Pasta is one of my go to meals when I want something quick but yummy. I've previously shared recipes like my BBQ Chicken Pasta and Chicken Spaghetti. Another family favorite is this creamy cajun alfredo pasta with shrimp AND sausage. It's one of those recipes where I'm sneaking one more bite after dinner and suddenly the pan is empty!

Why This Recipe Works: A Sprinkle of Food Science

Andouille Sausage Base: Cooking the shrimp with the sausage drippings and scraping the brown bits (fond) into the sauce gives every bite great flavor!
Cream Cheese Alfredo: This thickens our sauce without a roux and helps prevent the sauce from splitting.

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

ingredients including penne pasta, heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, cajun seasoning, shrimp and and sausage.

Shrimp: Look for medium shrimp (where you get around 21-25 per pound). This will help them stay tender. You can also use precooked shrimp but add them at the very end and cook for only a minute or two. Frozen shrimp also works just be sure to thaw it overnight or the day of in cool water.
Andouille Sausage: This is a Cajun pork sausage that is spicy and flavorful. If you can't find it you can use another smoked sausage such as kielbasa.
Pasta: I like penne because its ridged and collects the sauce in its hollow center. Any pasta you like such as bowties, cavatappi, or fettucine work great.
Butter: Use unsalted if you have it as this dish as lot of other salty components already.
Heavy Cream: This will give you the richest and creamiest sauce. Half and half works but will be thinner. Avoid milk which will make the sauce too thin.
Parmesan: Grate it yourself if you can. It tastes better and will melt more smoothly. Pre-shredded cheese has filler than can become grainy when melted.
Cajun Seasoning: My go to brand is Tony Chachere's.
Cream Cheese: Make sure this is softened so it mixes in smoothly. Around an hour in the countertop works great. Short on time? Dunk the foil wrapped brick into a glass of warm (not hot) water.

a 4 image collage showing how to make cajun alfredo sauce.

a 4 image collage showing how to add pasta, shrimp, and sausage, to a Cajun alfredo with penne.

Krystle's Tips: Steal My Culinary School Secrets

Always salt your pasta water. This is the only chance you get to add flavor to your noodles. It should taste as salty and chicken broth. I use around one half to one tablespoon.
Don't Overcook Pasta: Cook until al dente as it will finish in the sauce. We don't want it overcooked or it can turn mushy.
Sear Shrimp: Pat dry to help then sear and develop some color (and flavor).
Don't Overcook Shrimp: Overcooking makes them rubbery. It's okay if they still look a little opaque (see through). They'll finish cooking in the sauce. When fully cooked they should form a "C" shape. If they're a tight "O" shape they're likely overcooked.