Pappardelle tossed with garlic shrimp in a buttery Cajun sauce. This Cajun Garlic Shrimp Pappardelle is delicious, simple, and so perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Happy Sunday!
I’ve been craving so many different foods these past few months. So I’ve been slowly trying to recreate versions of the foods I want to eat at home. Do you feel the same way?
Today, I wanted to share with you this Cajun Garlic Shrimp Pappardelle.
Have you ever had Vietnamese Cajun food? It’s very popular in the Bay Area. Usually, you’ll have seafood, sausages, corn, and potatoes cooked together and tossed in a buttery sauce with tons of garlic and spices. It’s then served in a large plastic bag. It’s soo good. And also soo buttery. It’s definitely comfort food at its best.
In this version of Vietnamese Cajun food, I wanted to use pantry items. And I wanted something that could easily be eaten with little mess. So I thought I’d use the flavors of Vietnamese Cajun food and add it to pasta. You can actually use whatever noodles you like, but I happened to have pappardelle at home and it was perfect for this dish.
The garlicky butter sauce with Cajun seasoning and Old Bay seasoning cling to each strand of noodles and to each of the shrimp. It’s flavorful and soo delicious. And best served warm.
In a medium sized pot, cook the pappardelle noodle according to the directions on the packaging, about 10 minutes. Cook longer if you want the noodles to be less al dente. Drain the noodles but reserve a half cup of pasta water for the sauce. Run the pasta through cold water and set aside for now.
In a large skillet, melt butter over low to medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add minced garlic. Cook until the garlic becomes golden brown and aromatic. Add in the Cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, paprika, hot sauce, granulated sugar, and oyster sauce. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until the shrimp turns from a greyish color to an orange color.
Add the pappardelle noodles into the skillet and toss to coat the noodles with the sauce. Add pasta water slowly to thin out the sauce.
Garnish the Cajun Garlic Shrimp Pappardelle with cilantro or parsley and serve warm.
Enjoy!
- 8 oz pappardelle noodles
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- a dozen large shrimp
- Cilantro for garnish
- In a medium sized pot, cook the pappardelle noodle according to the directions on the packaging, about 10 minutes. Cook longer if you want the noodles to be less al dente. Drain the noodles but reserve a half cup of pasta water for the sauce. Run the pasta through cold water and set aside for now.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over low to medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add minced garlic. Cook until the garlic becomes golden brown and aromatic. Add in the Cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, paprika, hot sauce, granulated sugar, and oyster sauce. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
- Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until the shrimp turns from a greyish color to an orange color.
- Add the pappardelle noodles into the skillet and toss to coat the noodles with the sauce. Add pasta water slowly to thin out the sauce.
- Garnish the Cajun Garlic Shrimp Pappardelle with cilantro or parsley and serve warm.
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