Blackened Shrimp Cavatappi has blackened shrimp nestled into a creamy sauce with added pasta and corn for a delicious dish with a little kick. If you love shrimp, be sure to also check out my Cajun Shrimp Pasta.
Blackened Shrimp Cavatappi
This recipe starts with cavatappi pasta cooked al dente. Then, fresh shrimp is seasoned and cooked with homemade blackened seasoning to give it a little bit of a spicy kick. The sauce is a cream sauce with a hint of tomato flavor from tomato paste. Finally, canned sweet corn is thrown into the mix. It’s an entree you will want to make on repeat.
Ingredients
Pasta: I love cavatappi noodles, especially for a sauce like this one. But, any tubular pasta is a good choice to hold all of the delicious sauce.
Shrimp: I used frozen raw, deveined shrimp with tails removed that had been thawed. If you buy fresh shrimp, it’s easy to devein. To devein, make a slit (not too deep) along the back of the shrimp, pulling out the black vein with the tip of a knife. It is up to you if you leave the tails on or off.
Blackened Seasoning: Blackened seasoning falls somewhere between a Cajun seasoning and creole spice. If you don’t have any on hand, make your own.
Heavy Cream: The heavy cream adds some creaminess to the sauce. You could get away with using whole milk or even 2%, but the sauce will not have the same consistency.
Tomato Paste: Adding the paste to the sauce helped make the sauce a little thicker without the need to make a slurry.
Corn: If you don’t have canned corn, you could use frozen corn that has been thawed and drained.
Can I Use Pre-Cooked Frozen Shrimp?
You can, but I would not recommend it for the best results. If you are using frozen, pre-cooked shrimp, you will not need to cook it in butter. Instead, let it thaw in the refrigerator. Then, season it with the blackened seasoning and add it at the very end, after you have prepared the sauce. Just let the shrimp warm up in the sauce before serving, which should only take a few minutes.
What to Serve with Blackened Shrimp Cavatappi
With this dish being the entree, here are some ideas to serve with it to make it a complete meal:
How to Store
After the blackened shrimp cavatappi has been made, if you have any leftovers, don’t let them go to waste! Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last up to 3 days.
Blackened Shrimp Cavatappi
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cavatappi noodles, cooked al dente according to package instructions
- 1 pound large shrimp, raw, deveined, tail removed
- 2 tablespoons blackened seasoning
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup (57.5 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (50 g) parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 can (15 ounces) sweet corn, drained
- green onion, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Add cavatappi noodles to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook al dente according to package directions (8-9 minutes for cavatappi).
- While the noodles are cooking, prepare the shrimp and sauce.
- Season the shrimp evenly with blackened seasoning. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When melted, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 4-6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer shrimp to a plate and set aside.
- To the same skillet over medium heat, add heavy cream. Bring the heavy cream to a low simmer, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as you go.
- Reduce the heat to low and add tomato paste, sour cream, and parmesan. Stir together until the parmesan is completely melted.
- Add the cooked pasta, shrimp, and corn to the sauce. Toss to coat.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
Made this today! Absolutely loved, switched with chickpea pasta, low fat sour cream & butter alternative. Still tasted amazing.
My husband and I agreed this was without a doubt the best pasta I’ve ever made. The sauce is the perfect consistency and the taste is incredible. The corn and green onions are an unexpected but delightful surprise. Will be saving for the future!!
YAY!!! So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do!!!
where do i buy the blacken season at
You can buy it at most grocery stores or make it: https://iamhomesteader.com/blackened-seasoning/
Made for the first time today. Doubled the recipe. Soon good, will make again and again.
Your recipes look delicious! Some I’ve tried with great success.
Would this work well for chicken too?
I think it would be good with chicken or kielbasa.