This creamy cajun shrimp linguine Alfredo recipe is out of this world. We’ve posted a similar recipe for creamy shrimp Alfredo pasta, but this one is different in so many delicious ways.
The heavy cream, crispy bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and linguine pasta with Alfredo sauce make a fantastic dish.
And the best part? It’s easy to make.
And even better, it looks like you worked hard in the kitchen to make this simple but elegant creamy shrimp Alfredo recipe.
Ingredients for Cajun Shrimp Linguine Alfredo Recipe
Ah, this is the best part. This Alfredo dish doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, but you can add additional elements to this recipe.
For example, you can add mushrooms and fire-roasted tomatoes instead of sun-dried tomatoes, and you can add spinach, too.
And you can use chicken instead of shrimp. We are in love with linguine Alfredo with chicken. Chicken linguine alfredo is the legit best thing ever (except for this shrimp Alfredo recipe). Here’s an idea: Maybe make a Cajun shrimp and chicken Alfredo. Chicken and jumbo shrimp together give you the best of both worlds.
You can also add spinach. Yum.
Aside from the seasonings, you’ll need:
- Pasta
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Jumbo shrimp
- Chicken broth
- Crispy bacon
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
One of my favorite ingredients is sun-dried tomatoes. It really adds to this rich, creamy dish.
We don’t need olive oil with this dish. We’re going to use bacon fat instead. However, you can use olive oil if you want to cut the saturated fat out of your diet.
If you want to use olive oil, though, you can. Bacon just adds to the flavor, and olive oil does not.
I add olive oil to the boiling linguine pasta, but honestly, you don’t have to do that. It doesn’t really do anything. It’s just a habit for me. You can also use canola oil to add to your pasta.
What Seasonings Are Good in Alfredo Sauce?
As for the seasonings, you’ll only need:
- Fresh garlic (minced garlic)
- Cajun seasoning (I use Slap Ya Mama – Cajun shrimp Alfredo is super popular in my family)
- Sea salt
- Black pepper (the black pepper makes this main dish so much better!)
- Oh, and some fresh chopped parsley to garnish this shrimp pasta recipe.
I use an obscene amount of garlic, but you can tone down the garlic if you like. That’s it!
Optional Ingredients for this Shrimp Pasta Recipe
You can add lots of other delicious ingredients to this shrimp linguine Alfredo recipe. Here are just a few things you can add to make delicious shrimp fettuccine alfredo.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese makes a delicious creamy shrimp Alfredo pasta sauce.
- Jarred Alfredo sauce: You can make this shrimp Alfredo pasta recipe with jar sauce, and you’ll have a good meal. However, it’s not quite the same as this easy homemade Alfredo sauce.
- Frozen shrimp: Yes, you can use frozen shrimp to make this Cajun shrimp Alfredo recipe. Just thaw the shrimp first.
- Half and half: If you’re watching calories, you can make this recipe with half and half instead of heavy cream.
- Whole wheat pasta: To make this main dish shrimp Alfredo linguine recipe healthier, use whole grain pasta or whole wheat pasta.
- Olive oil: If you’re watching your saturated fat, make this recipe with olive oil instead of the bacon grease or butter.
- Butter: If you want to use butter instead of olive oil or bacon grease, that’s totally OK. Just save the bacon grease in a container and freeze it for future use.
- Pre-cooked bacon: You can buy the pre-cooked bacon that’s found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store to make this fettuccine Alfredo recipe.
What to Add to Alfredo Sauce to Make It Better (Jarred Alfredo Sauce)
Maybe you’re opting to use jarred Alfredo sauce instead of making it homemade. Hey, that’s totally OK. We’re all about making dinner easier for you.
Here’s what you need to do to make jarred Alfredo sauce taste better.
- Add some garlic. If you add garlic to your jarred Alfredo sauce to make it taste better, be sure to saute it first in butter or olive oil before adding the other ingredients. Then, cook the sauce and garlic for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir frequently so that it doesn’t scorch.
- Use garlic powder instead of minced garlic. If you want to add garlic powder so that you don’t have to bother with minced garlic, that’s fine, too.
- Melted butter. Butter adds tons of bold flavor to jarred Alfredo sauce. Add up to 1/3 cup of melted butter. Stir the butter over medium heat to melt it, then stir it into the sauce.
- Bring in the cheese. Alfredo sauce is already creamy, and cheese is perfect to add to make jarred Alfredo sauce better. You can use mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, or even cream cheese. Tip: don’t use low-fat or fat-free cream cheese.
- How about some veggies? To make your shrimp Alfredo or chicken Alfredo better, feel free to add some yummy vegetables.
What Kind of Pasta to Use with Easy Shrimp Alfredo Recipe
You sure can! This recipe calls for linguine, but I’m a “use what I have in the kitche” kind of person.
You can use fettuccine pasta (fettuccine noodles) to make fettuccine Alfredo, or you can use spaghetti. Obviously, I wouldn’t go with a bow tie pasta, and the longer spaghetti type pasta works far better.
The creamy sauce gets thick in this recipe with the help of the parmesan cheese and heavy cream. The thick sauce over the shrimp pasta is amazing.
What Do You Eat with Shrimp and Linguine Recipes?
My go-to side dish with a lot of pasta dishes is spinach salad. However, if you add spinach to the shrimp pasta recipe, then it might be redundant. In that case, a green salad would be delicious with this pasta recipe.
- Spinach salad (we love the Food Network recipe)
- Green salad
- Caesar salad
- Asparagus is always good with pasta. Asparagus is good with everything!
- Southern-style green beans would work out well, too.
- Roasted veggies
- Garlic bread
- Garlic knots
This shrimp pasta recipe has so much in it that you don’t really have to have a side dish. Just serve this delicious shrimp pasta recipe with hot buttered bread, and you’re good to go.
Let’s do this!
Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine Alfredo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Bacon Recipe
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10 ounces linguine pasta
- 6 slices of bacon
- 1 pound of jumbo shrimp
- 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning (I used Slap Ya Mama)
- A pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1.5 cups heavy cream (heavy whipping cream)
- .5 cups of chicken broth
- 1 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup of parsley
Instructions:
1. Cook pasta over high heat according to the instructions on the box.
2. While the pasta is cooking (reserve one cup of the pasta water), cut up bacon into about 1/2 inch slices, then cook in a big pan over medium heat on the stove.
Remove from the pan. Set aside.
3. Place shrimp in the bacon grease, sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper on both sides. Saute the shrimp over medium heat.
4. When the shrimp curl and turn pinkish and translucent, remove the cooked shrimp from the pan and add them to the bacon you set aside.
5. Throw the sun-dried tomatoes into the pan, and stir.
6. Add garlic, and continue to stir.
7. Now add the heavy cream. Let that bubble for a few minutes, add the chicken broth, and then add the parmesan cheese.
8. Add the cooked pasta, pasta water, shrimp, and bacon back into the pot.
9. Stir well to get the cream sauce mixed in well.
10. Garnish with fresh parsley, and you’re good to go!
Creamy Shrimp Linguine Alfredo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces linguine
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp
- 1 tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- .5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup parsley mix into the pasta
Instructions
- Boil linguine pasta according to the instructions on the box.
- While the pasta is cooking, cut up bacon into about 1/2 inch slices, then cook in a big pan on the stove. Remove from the pan. Set aside.
- Place shrimp in the bacon grease, sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper on both sides. When they curl and turn pinkish and translucent, remove them from the pan and add them to the bacon you set aside.
- Throw the sun-dried tomatoes into the pan, and stir.
- Add garlic, and continue to stir. Now add the heavy cream.
- Let that bubble for a few minutes, add the chicken broth, and then add the parmesan cheese.
- Add the pasta, then the shrimp and bacon back into the pot.
- Stir well to get the cream sauce mixed in well.
- Mix the fresh parsley into the pasta, and you're good to go!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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