Shrimp and Sausage Pasta

Shrimp, smoked sausage, and fettuccine pasta in a creamy cajun sauce. This recipe for creamy shrimp and sausage pasta comes together in less than 30 minutes and is absolutely delicious.

Easy Shrimp and Sausage Pasta

I have been wanting to create a shrimp and smoked sausage dish for a while. I love the flavor of seafood and smoked sausage together in seafood boils, so this was my inspiration for this dish. Also, my wife’s favorite protein is shrimp, and honestly, I just do not make it enough. Sometimes I make dishes with shrimp specifically for her, like this Shrimp Rolls or these Shrimp Fajitas, and this was one of those times. Shrimp is one of the easiest proteins to make and yet, I rarely cook with it.

Smoked sausage is something I cook with a lot. I grew up eating kielbasa regularly, and between that and hotdogs, I really could always go for smoked sausage. When you buy it from the grocery store, it is usually already fully cooked, but i like to slice it up and brown it a little. The best types to buy for this dish are andouille sausage or kielbasa sausage.

I used fresh fettuccine pasta for this dish and it took just about 4 minutes to boil. Any fettuccine will work, but if you are the type of person who makes their own pasta or you have access to an Italian speciality store that sells fresh pasta, this is a great dish for it.

I made this simple cajun shrimp and sausage pasta once with canned coconut milk and once with milk. Both come out deliciously, so you are really free to use whatever you would like. The flavor of the coconut is not strong, as the other flavors shine brighter. I have been trying to use up my stash of canned coconut milk and cream which is why I used it, but you are free to use anything. I love the creaminess of coconut milk, and I miss cooking with it. Also, I like having the option to keep things dairy free if I am cooking for anyone lactose intolerant, so this is a nice recipe to keep in mind.

Shrimp and Sausage Pasta without Cream

I made this recipe for shrimp and sausage pasta completely dairy free by using a can of coconut milk. Canned coconut milk is different than canned coconut cream. If you want to make this recipe dairy free, be sure to choose the milk, not the cream. Canned coconut milk is a great milk alternative for cooking.. You do not taste the coconut milk in this recipe because it is mixed with the strong flavors of garlic, old bay seasoning and a lot of tomato. The sauce is very simple and comes together very fast.

If you want to use regular milk, that is ok too. You can use any type of milk you have on hand. I like to boil the ingredients together for a couple of minutes and then transfer it to a food processor or high speed blender to make the consistency super creamy. When I add the garlic to this sauce, I crush down on the clove to open it and basically just add it whole to my sauce. Since it will be blended afterwards, no need to dice it. This sauce becomes such a delicious red sauce for shrimp and sausage pasta.

Shrimp and Sausage Pasta Recipe

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 tbsp Butter – I like to cook with salted butter. I don’t add salt in this recipe other than the old bay seasoning, so if you want to use unsalted butter, then add a tiny bit more salt with cooking the shrimp
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil – I use Trader Joe’s Olive Oil out of convenience
• 1 lb Shrimp, thawed – You can definitely make this with fresh shrimp, but I chose frozen out of convenience
• 1 lb Smoked Sausage (Andouille, Kielbasa, Chicken, etc), sliced. I like slicing the sausage before I cook it so that I can brown each slice rather than cooking it whole and then slicing it.
• 1 lb Pasta, boiled – I used fresh fettuccine for this dish and I highly recommend it because I love the way the sauce sticks to the pasta.
• 14 oz Canned Coconut Milk or Any Milk – I only cook with canned coconut milk and I never use the kind that comes from a box.
• 2.5 tsp Old Bay Seasoning 
• 28 oz Canned Crushed Tomatoes – 28 ounces is the large can. I love to stock up on these in the Fall
• 2 Garlic Cloves – no chopping necessary. It will be blended into the sauce
• 1/4 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan optional

INSTRUCTIONS 

Creamy Cajun Sauce

• Crush your garlic cloves and add it to a medium size sauce pot with the tomatoes, your choice of milk, and 2 teaspoon of Old Bay.
• Bring the sauce to a boil and then transfer the sauce to a food processor or high speed blender to create a smooth sauce.

Shrimp and Sausage Pasta

• Boil the pasta and set aside. As it is boiling, you can start on the rest of your recipe.
• Heat the butter and oil in a deep and large saute pan. Once the oil mixture is hot, add your thawed shrimp with 1/2 tsp of Old Bay seasoning.
• Cook each shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side. Once they are completely pink, they are done cooking. Add to a plate and set aside. It is ok if some of your shrimp juices and seasoning is left in the pan. This will help flavor the sausage.
• Add your sausage to the pqn. If you are cooking a leaner sausage like turkey or chicken, you may want to add an additional 1/2 tbsp of oil to the pan as you cook your sausage.
• Cook the sausage until it is browned on both sides.
• Add the shrimp and pasta back to the pan and then add your sauce. Add half of the sauce first and mix it around. Then continue to add more sauce until the pasta is to your liking.
• optional: Top with parmesan cheese

If you like this recipe, try more of my Shrimp recipes:

Shrimp Rolls

Garlic Shrimp Risotto

Shrimp Fajitas