This pasta is delicious and super easy to whip up in 30 minutes. It is definitely one of our family favorite pasta recipes. Even my picky boys eat it (and ask for seconds)! I got the inspiration for this recipe from a restaurant called “Nothing But Noodles” here in Charlotte. It’s one of my favorite pastas on their menu so I decided to recreate it at home (with the addition of a lot of shrimp of course) and I am so glad I did!
Creamy Cajun Rigatoni Shrimp Pasta
This pasta is delicious and super easy to whip up in 30 minutes. It is definitely one of our family favorite pasta recipes. Even my picky boys eat it (and ask for seconds too)! I got the inspiration for this recipe from a restaurant called "Nothing But Noodles" here in Charlotte. It's one of my favorite pastas on their menu so I decided to recreate it at home (with the addition of a lot of shrimp of course) and I am so glad I did!
Ingredients
- 1 LB Rigatoni Pasta or pasta or choice
- 2 LB Shrimp peeled, deveined
- 3 Cups Heavy Cream
- 2 Cups Parmesan Cheese finely shredded
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 TBS Cajun Seasoning divided (1 TBS for shrimp, 1 TBS for sauce)
- 1 Cup Baby Tomatoes diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper diced, optional
- 8 TBS Butter divided (4 TBS for shrimp, 4 TBS pasta/sauce)
- 1 TBS Parsley finely chopped for garnish, optional
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash, peel, devein shrimp and put it in a large baking dish with 4 TBS butter (cut into slices). Sprinkle with 1 TBS Cajun seasoning, a sprinkle of salt and mix. Bake for 15-25 minutes until shrimp is cooked through, mixing twice. Meanwhile move on to steps 2 and 3.
- Cook Rigatoni pasta (or any pasta of choice) in a pot of salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. When the shrimp in the oven is well cooked through, take it out of the oven and set aside, covered to keep it hot.
- Heat 2 TBS Butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the minced garlic cloves, diced baby tomatoes, and diced bell pepper (optional). Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add 3 cups heavy cream and 2 cups finely shredded parmesan cheese. Mix well and bring to a light boil, then reduce to low heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Once the pasta is cooked through, drain water from the pot and add 2 TBS butter to the pasta. Add cooked pasta and cooked shrimp to the skillet with sauce and combine.
Notes
This recipe reheats well the next day. Just warm up on a skillet with some butter on low heat.