Recipes
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Serves 4
| Prep Time: 5 mins
| Cook Time: 30 mins
| Total Time: 35 mins
You may need: Island Spice
Discover The Recipe
Packed with colorful peppers and island-inspired seasonings, this Cajun Shrimp Pasta lends a Caribbean twist to a weeknight classic! We developed our all-purpose Island Spice blend, inspired by flavors used around the Caribbean from Jamaica to the Antilles, to pack big flavor into any meal. Caribbean cuisine is known for its bold flavors, using native tropical fruits, spices, herbs, seafood, and aromatics to make unique, flavor-packed dishes, often with mouth-tingling heat.
As usual, our blends let you decide how much heat to add. The cheesy coconut milk sauce adds a perfect finish to fettuccine or linguine noodles, roasted bell peppers, and island-spiced shrimp to pull together a restaurant-quality dish that is easy to make on any night. This dish is also easy to customize: add more island spice to the sauce to deepen the flavor; omit the cheese to keep the pasta creamy and coconutty; or make this dish with island-spiced grilled proteins or veggies to add more smoky flavor to this Cajun Pasta! If you’re a heat lover, add a chopped Scotch Bonnet pepper (a Jamaican favorite), red pepper flakes, or a jalapeño to the sauce before adding the pasta.
Ingredients
1 lb frozen shrimp (shell-off unless you prefer to peel)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Island Spice blend
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 green bell pepper, seeded & sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded & sliced
1/4 cup coconut milk
8oz linguine or fettuccine noodles
1/2 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)
Notes
You can use fresh or frozen shrimp, either peeled or shell-on. This recipe assumes you use frozen shrimp (which are super handy to have handy in your freezer for delicious weeknight meals). So, if you want to use fresh shrimp, we suggest sautéing without a lid for 5-6 mins until bring pink.
Meal prep tip: double the recipe and freeze half the finished pasta in portioned containers for those heat 'n go weeknight meals.
Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.
Instructions
Heat a pan on Med and add olive oil. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 min until aromatic (don’t burn the garlic). Add frozen shrimp to pan, and cover with 1 Tbsp Island Spice. Cover the pan, and let shrimp steam cook for 5-6 min./p>
In another pot, boil water and cook pasta according to package instructions.
Remove lid from shrimp and cook for another 5 mins, until shrimp liquid is mostly gone from pan - the shrimp will just begin to blacken. Add bell peppers and broth to pan, then stir to combine. Cook peppers until soft (4-5 mins).
Drain pasta and add to pan with coconut milk and cheese. Stir to thoroughly combine and melt the cheese. Remove from heat and serve hot. Top with more cheese as desired.
Alternatives & Substitutions
Not feeling our Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe? No problem! We've got ideas for you.
This recipe is super easy to customize! Don't eat shrimp? Grill some chicken breast or veggies and slice up for a smoky pairing with the pasta.
You can use your favorite cheese in this dish. We prefer grating hard, salty cheeses like Parmesan, Pecorino or Manchego.
Use our all-purpose Island Spice as a dry rub on just about anything: try grilling chicken, beef, lamb, pork, zucchini, mushrooms, or eggplant.
Or, use it in any recipe calling for paprika. Caribbean deviled eggs, anyone?
Don't have coconut milk? Use regular milk or use unsweetened vegan milks such as almond, soy, or oat milk.
Looking for plant-based / vegan recipes to use our Island Spice blend? Try our stunning Sweet Potato Cakes with Coconut and Lime Sauce or Portobello and Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo, or our Tostones de Pana recipes.
Another authentic Caribbean alternative recipe to use Island spice is our Jamaican Run Down (fish stew), or our Jamaican Brown Chicken Stew recipes.
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Serves
4
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Piquant Post spice you'll need: Island Spice
Ingredients
1 lb frozen shrimp (shell-off unless you prefer to peel)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Island Spice blend
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 green bell pepper, seeded & sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded & sliced
1/4 cup coconut milk
8oz linguine or fettuccine noodles
1/2 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)
Instructions
Heat a pan on Med and add olive oil. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 min until aromatic (don’t burn the garlic). Add frozen shrimp to pan, and cover with 1 Tbsp Island Spice. Cover the pan, and let shrimp steam cook for 5-6 min./p>
In another pot, boil water and cook pasta according to package instructions.
Remove lid from shrimp and cook for another 5 mins, until shrimp liquid is mostly gone from pan - the shrimp will just begin to blacken. Add bell peppers and broth to pan, then stir to combine. Cook peppers until soft (4-5 mins).
Drain pasta and add to pan with coconut milk and cheese. Stir to thoroughly combine and melt the cheese. Remove from heat and serve hot. Top with more cheese as desired.
Notes
You can use fresh or frozen shrimp, either peeled or shell-on. This recipe assumes you use frozen shrimp (which are super handy to have handy in your freezer for delicious weeknight meals). So, if you want to use fresh shrimp, we suggest sautéing without a lid for 5-6 mins until bring pink.
Meal prep tip: double the recipe and freeze half the finished pasta in portioned containers for those heat 'n go weeknight meals.
Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.
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