Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta With A Creamy Sauce Recipe

Name: Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta With A Creamy Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: 8 ounces of spaghetti or pasta of your choice; .25 cup butter; .5 chopped onion; .5 cup chopped celery; 2 cloves garlic, pressed; 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped; 1.25 cups half and half; 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks; 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded; 1.5 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning or more; 8 ounces fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled and cleaned; 8 ounces fresh or frozen crawfish, peeled and cleaned; 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs for the casserole option; .25 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded for the casserole option; pats of butter for the casserole option

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This Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta is creamy and cheesy with chunks of seafood taste and Cajun spice. And that's not all!

Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta in wooden bowl with wooden serving spoons

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The creamy white sauce for this Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta gets its kick from jalapeno pepper and Cajun Seasoning. It pairs well with seafood, cheese, and spaghetti. Serve it right after the sauce is tossed with freshly cooked pasta, or bake it as a casserole topped with bread crumbs and more cheese.

Need another seafood pasta recipe? Luscious layers of rich cheesy filling in this Crawfish Lasagna flavored with Cajun seasoned crawfish and a creamy sauce.

This deliciously creamy, cheesy Crawfish Fettuccine with spicy jalapeno pepper uses fresh ingredients; no canned ingredients here.

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Ingredients
INSTRUCTIONS
Top Tip
Storage
Substitutions
Variations
FAQ
Related
Pairing
Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta With A Creamy Sauce Recipe
Comments

Ingredients

This spaghetti is delicious all by itself. Luxury is a brand that never fails me in making perfect pasta every time.

A bag of luxury spaghetti over a pot of cooked spaghetti.

I'm unsure why this Louisiana classic Luxury pasta is so good. Maybe it's because it's been around for over a hundred years. That's plenty of time to perfect it!

The truth is the company was started in the New Orleans French Quarter by a Frenchman with the help of an Italian. With that background, it's no wonder it's so delicious.

I like to share with you what works in my kitchen. You can use your favorite brand and even your favorite kind of pasta—it doesn't have to be spaghetti.

Spaghetti - regular spaghetti noodles or your favorite pasta will do.
Salted butter - melt the butter to saute onions and celery.
Onion - diced fresh onion sautéed in butter is a great way to add flavor to a cream sauce.
Celery—the fresh celery and onions add a foundation flavor to the sauce as they simmer together in the butter.
Jalapeno pepper - seeded and chopped for a fresh, spicy addition.
Garlic - use a garlic press to press cloves into bits to distribute flavor throughout the dish.
Half-and-half - for the perfect addition to make a creamy sauce.
Cream cheese - cut into chunks to melt evenly with the other cheese.
Monterey Jack cheese - this mild-tasting shredded cheese melts quickly into the sauce.
Cajun Seasoning - use your favorite Cajun seasoning or homemade recipe for the right amount of kick.
Shrimp - fresh or frozen, de-headed, peeled, and deveined.
Crawfish tail meat - fresh or frozen, peeled and deveined.
Breadcrumbs - to top the casserole dish for extra texture and garnish.
Parmesan cheese - shredded for the taste and garnished topping.
Green onions or sliced jalapeno pepper- are optional for an added garnish.

See the printable recipe card below for specific ingredient amounts.

INSTRUCTIONS

The Pasta

cooked spaghetti rinsed in silver strainer for Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta

Boil pasta according to package instructions in salted water, drain it, and set aside. Reduce the cooking time if you prefer al dente pasta.

The Sauce

The cream cheese makes this Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta sauce smooth and velvety.

Start by melting the butter in a large skillet or a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then, saute the onions, celery, and jalapeno pepper.

Add garlic and cook for a few minutes more without browning the vegetables.

chunks of cream cheese stirred into pan with wooden spoon for Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta

shredded cheese being added to pan of Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta

Then stir in the cream cheese and Monterey Jack to melt.

Cream pouring into sauce pan of Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta.

shrimp and crawfish added to cream sauce for Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta

Pour in half-and-half a little at a time, then add the shrimp, crawfish, and Cajun seasoning. Toss the sauce and pasta together.

HINT: If leftover seafood from a seafood boil is used, the shrimp and crawfish need not be cooked after being added to the white cheese sauce.

Plated Shrimp And Crawfish Pasta in white plate

Top Tip

If you're going to make this recipe, make sure to follow this top tip!

You can immediately serve the pasta and cream sauce or pour the whole dish into a greased casserole, top it with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and pats of butter, then bake until browned and bubbly. This makes a crunchy topping that adds great taste and texture to the shrimp and crawfish pasta.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze tightly covered for up to 3 months.

Substitutions

Maybe you don't have these exact ingredients on hand. For a slight change in taste, you can make some substitutions. They are:

Use pickled jalapeno peppers in place of fresh peppers.
For the cream sauce, you can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic cloves; ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder or garlic granules for 1 garlic clove.
Peeled leftover crawfish tails from a crawfish boil and leftover shrimp from a shrimp boil are suitable for this recipe; since the boiled seafood is already seasoned, adjust the amount of seasoning in the pasta sauce appropriately.
Replace the spaghetti with fettuccine noodles, penne pasta, or your favorite pasta.

Variations

You can use only shrimp or only crawfish in this pasta dish.

FAQ

How do you make shrimp and crawfish pasta sauce?

First, make a cheese sauce and cook the shrimp and crawfish in the sauce before tossing it with freshly cooked pasta.

What does shrimp and crawfish pasta taste like?

Shrimp and crawfish pasta has a rich, spicy, cheesy sauce tossed together with flavorful seafood and a satisfying portion of pasta.

What goes well with shrimp and crawfish pasta?

For a simple and satisfying meal with shrimp and crawfish pasta, serve a fresh salad tossed in a light dressing with a side of warm buttered bread. Oh, and don't forget the iced tea and dessert!

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these shrimp and crawfish recipes:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Shrimp and Crawfish Pasta With A Creamy Sauce Recipe:

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"We can be tired, weary, and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power, and strength."

– Charles F. Stanley