Spice up pasta night with this easy Cajun alfredo sauce recipe, ready in under 30 minutes! Tender fettuccine is tossed in a cheesy garlic cream sauce for a bold flavor twist.
Recipe Science
- Blooming dried spices and herbs in hot fat before adding cream intensifies their aroma and releases fat-soluble flavors.
- Heavy cream containing 36% fat provides a velvety consistency and reduces the risk of curdling during the sauce reduction.
- Finely grating the Parmesan cheese allows the smaller pieces to dissolve quickly into the cream for even flavor distribution.
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Why It Works
Why not elevate your dinner to gourmet status with this quick and easy Cajun alfredo sauce? Transform everyday pasta into a creamy, smoky delight. It all starts when you bloom Cajun spices in garlic butter, a crucial step that unleashes the spices’ volatile aromas and deepens their flavors. Then, the flavors meld beautifully when cream is added during a gentle simmer on your stovetop.
As the sauce simmers, its texture becomes luxuriously thick through reduction, concentrating the consistency without needing any thickeners. Before you’re ready to serve, fold in freshly grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory richness. Choose your favorite pasta to toss and soak up the rich, creamy sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: The fat adds richness while coaxing out the fat-soluble flavors from the garlic, dried herbs, and spices.
- Garlic: The cream’s neutral taste pairs perfectly with a spicy kick from minced garlic, which infuses the sauce with a pungent aroma and taste that mellows out as the sauce simmers.
- Cream: I opt for heavy cream, often labeled as heavy whipping cream, which contains at least 36% milk fat. This high-fat content lends a velvety consistency to the sauce and minimizes the risk of curdling, which is especially important when reducing the sauce.
- Cajun Seasoning: I use my homemade Cajun seasoning as the base flavoring. It combines salt, black pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and oregano.
- Cheese: Adding a hard, dry-aged cheese like freshly grated Parmesan elevates the creamy base. The aging process gives these cheeses a granular texture and a salty, nutty taste.
- Pasta: Wide fettuccine pasta is the best pairing with creamy Alfredo sauce. Its wide, flat shape holds the rich sauce beautifully, making it a classic choice.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This Cajun Alfredo sauce recipe is easy to customize. Try these tasty options!
- Butter Swap: Use olive oil, margarine, or plant-based butter.
- Cheese Options: Use Parmigiana Reggiano for a nutty flavor or Pecorino Romano for a more pungent taste.
- Using Store-Bought Cajun Seasoning: Purchase Cajun seasoning without salt added to prevent the sauce from becoming too salty. If low-sodium options are available, wait to add additional salt.
- Add Vegetables: Pair the pasta with sauteed vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, or green beans.
- Add Protein: To make it heartier, use chicken breast to make a Cajun chicken alfredo. You can also make shrimp alfredo or add spicy andouille sausage to the Cajun cream sauce.
- Pasta Options: Make a classic fettuccine alfredo with a spicy twist, or use short-cut pasta like penne, farfalle, or rotini. You can also make it a low-carb dish with zucchini noodles.
How to Make Cajun Alfredo Sauce
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes. Use tongs to transfer it to a colander, reserving the pasta water to help emulsify the sauce and thin the consistency. While the pasta cooks, I prepare the Cajun alfredo sauce so they are done around the same time.
Step 2: Saute the Garlic
To enhance your sauce, sauté the minced garlic in melted butter for just under a minute. It’s long enough to soften its harsh sulfurous edges and infuse a gentle nuttiness into the sauce without browning the butter or burning the garlic.
Pro Tip: This quick step transforms the garlic’s raw intensity into a more mellow addition to your dish.
Step 3: Bloom the Spices
Blooming the Cajun spices in garlic butter is a vital technique that releases the spices’ and herbs’ volatile aromas and enriches their flavors. Sautéing until fragrant, about 30 seconds. This process ensures the spices fully awaken as the drying process locks in the flavor compounds.
Step 4: Simmer the Sauce
Add the heavy cream to the spiced garlic butter, stirring to combine. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often to prevent curdling, and cook until the sauce reduces to about 1 cup, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Tips for Perfect Execution: As water evaporates and dairy solids concentrate, the sauce will thicken slightly, enough to coat a spoon.
Step 5: Stir in the Parmesan
Stir in the freshly grated cheese into the spiced alfredo sauce.
Adjust the consistency with the starchy pasta water, which will thicken with the cheese.
Ingredient Chemistry: It is important to turn off the heat before adding the grated parmesan cheese. If the sauce is too hot, the proteins in the cheese will agglomerate, resulting in a clumpy sauce.
Step 6: To Serve
Add the pasta to the Cajun Alfredo sauce, tossing gently to coat. For extra flavor, garnish with paprika or cayenne for heat, or brighten it up with lemon zest, chives, basil, or chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use heavy cream with at least 36% milkfat, which provides a rich, velvety texture. Reducing the cream as the sauce simmers helps concentrate the milk solids, naturally increasing viscosity. Stirring in grated Parmesan cheese further thickens the sauce; as it melts, the proteins and fats emulsify into the mixture.
To store Alfredo sauce, let it cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. When reheating, warm it gently over low heat, stirring frequently. If the sauce thickens too much, whisk in a splash of water or cream to restore its smooth consistency.
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Cajun Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 3 quarts water
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta – In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt and stir to dissolve. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes, or according to the manufacturer's directions. Use tongs to transfer to a colander. Reserve the starchy pasta water. While the pasta cooks, make the cajun alfredo sauce.
- Saute the Garlic – Heat a large skillet over low heat. Add butter. Once melted, add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not brown the butter or garlic.
- Bloom the Spices – Add ½ teaspoon salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, oregano, thyme, and cayenne. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Simmer the Sauce – Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, frequently stirring, and scrap the pan sides and bottom to ensure the cream does not curdle. Reduce the sauce to about 1 cup, about 8 to 10 minutes. The consistency should be slightly thickened and be able to coat the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the Parmesan – Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Typically ¼ cup is needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more cayenne for a spicier flavor. If the sauce cools down, warm it over low heat until hot.
- To Serve – Add the pasta to the alfredo sauce, gently tossing to combine. If desired, garnish with a sprinkle of paprika or cayenne.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: 1 cup of sauce for 8 ounces of pasta. Double the ingredients for 1 pound of pasta.
- Serving Size: Two ounces of pasta and ¼ cup of sauce for four servings, or it makes two large servings.
- Using Store-Bought Cajun Seasoning: Use no-salt Cajun seasoning, then add ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste. If using low-sodium Cajun seasoning, wait to add more salt.
- Garnish: If desired, serve with chopped parsley, chives, or basil.
- Storing: Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: Warm in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add more cream or water if needed.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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