Ditch Your Same Old Pasta Alfredo And Give It A Cajun Spin

Pasta with Alfredo sauce is a classic dish for a reason. The simple yet decadent combination is packed with flavor and acts as the perfect base for a variety of meats and vegetables if you want to add mix-ins for extra protein and nutrients. However, if you haven't tried a Cajun spin on it, we urge you to remedy that by whipping up a batch of our Cajun shrimp pasta Alfredo. 

Created by Mashed recipe developer Angela Latimer, the dish keeps the classic elements like butter, heavy cream, and parmesan and livens them up with Cajun seasoning. While some mistakes you're making with your Alfredo sauce have to do with technique, such as using heavy cream that's too cold, another big error is feeling like you can't get creative with it — that's why we love Latimer's take.  The addition of Cajun seasoning lends flavors of garlic, paprika, onion, oregano, thyme, and red pepper to the characteristic creamy Alfredo.

To seamlessly incorporate the seasoning, she doesn't just toss the dry seasoning blend into a bubbling saucepan of Alfredo sauce. Instead, she cooks the shrimp in the Cajun seasoning, removes them, and then adds the heavy cream and other ingredients to the pan. This infuses all the flavor created by cooking the seasoned shrimp into the sauce, leveling up your dish even further. For a silky smooth sauce, skip the pre-grated cheeses, advises Latimer. "They have additives to keep them from clumping, which also prevents them from melting nicely," she explains.

The dish calls for two tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, not an insignificant amount, so you'll want to ensure the seasoning blend you use is one you actually like. If you're looking for some recommendations, developer Angela Latimer lauds a few brands including Tony Chachere's, Zatarain, and Slap Ya Mama. However, if they don't have any of those brands at your grocery store, fear not — she prefers them primarily because they aren't as high in salt, so you'll just want to be mindful of the sodium content of the blend you select. 

For those who prefer to make their own spice blends rather than purchasing pre-made versions, our easy Cajun spice mix recipe is a great starting point. And, whether you make your own blend or buy one from the store, you can tailor the Cajun flair in the Alfredo sauce to your own taste, using a little more or a little less depending on how much of that signature spice you prefer. 

Finally, while Latimer's variation calls for shrimp, many other proteins would work well in the dish, including chicken. However, if you opt to pair your pasta with either roasted or baked chicken rather than protein sautéed in a pan, try adding the Cajun seasoning to a pan with melted butter before pouring in the cream. This will ensure the seasoning is distributed evenly throughout the sauce.