This 30-minute, one-pan, Cajun-inspired shrimp and sausage is full of flavour. Serve as is or with rice or pasta.
I love this flavourful Cajun shrimp and sausage for a quick weeknight meal. It’s customizable based on what you have on hand and has plenty of sauce so it can be enjoyed tossed with cooked pasta or spooned over rice.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Sausage – I often use Kielbasa sausage with this dish, though it is admittedly a Polish sausage. That said, the flavours work well and it is an accessible and economical option. If you can find Andouille sausage where you live, that would be a perfect choice. Smoked and cured Chorizo sausage would also work (but not the fresh chorizo sausage).
Shrimp – You can start with raw or cooked shrimp. I generally prefer raw shrimp when possible.
Cajun Spices – I love to make my own Cajun spice mix but if you have a premade Cajun spice mix on hand you can certainly use that if you prefer.
Tomato – You’ll need one fresh tomato (or a handful of cherry tomatoes) for this dish. You could open a small can of diced tomatoes, drain and use it instead.
If you don’t have tomato on hand, but you have bell pepper, you could omit the tomatoes and add more red pepper.
Red Pepper – You’ll also need about 1/2 of a large red bell pepper.
If you don’t have red bell pepper on hand, you can add a bit more tomato.
Paprika – I recommend a sweet paprika, as there are other “hot” flavourings added, so hot paprika isn’t really needed. I love to use a combination of sweet paprika with a bit of smoked paprika.
Half and Half Cream – The addition of cream is completely optional, so you can certainly omit if you’d prefer a non-creamy or non-dairy dish.
How to make Cajun shrimp and sausage
- Start by browning the kielbasa in a skillet. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl and set aside.
- To the same skillet, cook the onion in a bit of oil until softened, then add the garlic and cook briefly.
- Add the Cajun spice mixture to the skillet.
- Add the tomato and red pepper to the skillet.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Scatter the shrimp into the simmering liquid.
- If using cooked shrimp, simply warm the shrimp before proceeding. For raw shrimp, simmer for about 4 minutes to cook through.
- Return the kielbasa to the skillet and cook briefly.
- Add the cream to the skillet, if using.
- Mix together the cornstarch and water and drizzle into the sauce until it thickens as desired.
- Add some chopped parsley or cilantro to the sauce.
- Serve as is, spooned over cooked rice or toss with cooked past.
Recipe video
What to serve with this shrimp and sausage
You can certainly enjoy this shrimp and sausage as is or toss it with cooked pasta or rice.
For the pasta, this would be great with fettuccine or a short pasta like penne. For rice, cooked long-grain white or brown rice or even basmati rice would all be good options.
Recipe tip!
This recipe is very adaptable! You can use raw shrimp or cooked shrimp. You can use any type of cured sausage. You can use more shrimp and a bit less sausage or vice versa. Use all tomato or all red pepper, if you only have one or the other on hand. Add a bit of cream, more cream or no cream. Use cilantro or parsley. Serve with rice or pasta.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This dish holds well in the refrigerator, so it is a good option if you need a dish you can make ahead. Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
As there is cream in the sauce, this dish may not freeze well without some change in texture to the sauce. If you are wanting to make to freeze, you could omit the cream and add later when reheating to serve.
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Get the Recipe: Cajun Shrimp and Sausage
Ingredients
Cajun Spice Mix:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika, sweet/hot/smoked or combination
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, or additional sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne, adjust to taste for heat or omit
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, adjust to taste for heat or omit
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
For the dish:
- 6 oz Kielbasa sausage, or similar smoked and cured sausage, cut into slices, then cut in half into half-moons
- 1-2 teaspoons cooking oil
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh tomato, diced, from about 1 medium tomato *see Note 1 below
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cored and seeded and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/2 lb raw or cooked shrimp, thawed *see Note 2 below
- 1/4 cup half and half cream (10% b.f.), optional *see Note 3 below
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
- 1/4 cup Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Tip! You can enjoy this shrimp and sausage as is, spooned over cooked rice or tossed with cooked pasta. Fettuccine is nice or a short pasta such as penne would also work well. If using, start the rice or pasta cooking before starting the rest of the dish.
- Prepare cajun spice mix by combining all the spice mix ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the kielbasa to a skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the pieces so they are all flat in the skillet. Cook until golden underneath then flip them over and brown the other side. Remove the sausage to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat the cooking oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Add the Cajun spice mix and cook with the onions briefly. Add the tomatoes, red bell pepper and chicken broth and stir together.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet. If using raw shrimp, simmer the shrimp in the broth until cooked, about 4 minutes. (If using cooked shrimp, cook in the broth just until warmed.
- Return the kielbasa to the skillet and cook briefly to warm. Add the cream, if using and stir in. Mix together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Drizzle into the sauce a bit at a time, stirring constantly, adding as much of the cornstarch mixture as needed to thicken the sauce to the desired level.
- Take a minute to taste the sauce and add additional salt and freshly black pepper as needed. Right before serving, stir the parsley or cilantro into the skillet. Serve as is, spooned over cooked rice or tossed with cooked pasta. Garnish with additional parsley or cilantro.
Notes
More shrimp recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hi Jennifer – Thanks for another winner! No kielbasa, but I did have two raw jalapeño pork sausages, which I cooked up. No cream, but I did have some whole milk, so I added a bit of that. Only needed about 1 Tbsp of the corn starch slurry to get the right consistency. Served with linguine – very tasty. My picky husband, who never gives a 100% rating, said it was a solid 4/5! Cheers, El
So glad you enjoyed it, El! Thanks so much :)
I made your dish Thursday evening dinner. Was very nice I used basmati rice. I cooked this recipe just as you wrote it. Oh, I used smoke chorizo since I gad couple of links on hand. I will surely make again will try with kabassa next time.
So glad you enjoyed it, Pat! Thanks :)