This simple sheet pan dinner is filled with flavor (but low in carbs) thanks to andouille sausage and Cajun-spiced shrimp and vegetables. It's incredibly fast and easy for a weeknight dinner or meal prepping, and you can swap out the green beans, zucchini, and bell peppers for any veggies you have in the fridge!
I'll be honest, I didn't expect it, but this Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Sheet Pan wound up being one of my favorite easy shrimp recipes, not to mention one of my favorite sheet pan dinners. It's a great way to get bunch of satisfying flavor without having to load up on heavy ingredients, which I love, and
This sheet pan shrimp and sausage dinner ticks a lot of boxes for me right now because it's:
- Very versatile - it's easy to swap in different vegetables or even proteins
- A complete meal - eat it without any extra fuss, or serve with a simple side of rice
- Super low effort - sheet pan meals like this one require very little prep, and are cooked all on one sheet pan
- Delicious - andouille sausage, peppers, and a Cajun seasoning mixture make this recipe bold and flavorful-packed
And while it only takes about 20 minutes to cook and even less time than that to prepare, it doesn't feel like this recipe is thrown together. In fact, it's the type of meal you genuinely look forward to eating.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Shrimp. You can use fresh shrimp or thawed, frozen shrimp. Large, peeled and deveined shrimp work best. You can opt to use shrimp that have tails on or tails off. I personally prefer to keep the tails on as the tails add flavor to the pan liquids as the shrimp cook.
- Sausage. Andouille sausage is the sausage you'll find in typical Cajun-style dishes, but you can substitute any smoked sausage, if you'd like.
- Vegetables. I use green beans, summer squash, and bell peppers, but you can swap in other veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and more.
- Butter. The butter is both a cooking medium and adds flavor here, making a... well, buttery, base for the dressing. You can use oil if you don't have butter.
- Lemon. Lemon often used in Cajun shrimp dishes (and seafood recipes in general) to add acidity and remove any overly fishy odors / flavors. You can substitute other citrus juices to switch things up-- lime juice or orange juice would both be tasty options.
- Worcestershire Sauce. Worcestershire sauce is somewhat sweet and tangy, but it's especially useful for adding extra savory flavor.
- Honey. A little honey rounds out the flavors with sweetness and allows the dressing mixture to better adhere to the sheet pan ingredients.
- Garlic. Need I say more? Garlic makes everything better.
- Cajun Seasonings. If you have a premixed blend, great, go ahead and use that to keep things simple. I tend to use my own mix, which I'll explain below.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CAJUN SEASONING
This recipe calls for Cajun seasonings, which many people keep in their spice cabinet or purchase pre-blended. However, if you don't have any, don't worry, you can whip up your own mixture with what you do have. While what's in your Cajun seasonings can vary a lot, using my recommendations as a guide will help you get where you want to be.
To make your own Cajun spice blend, simply combine the following:
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder, or to taste
BAKE ALL ON ONE SHEET PAN
The thing I love about sheet pan recipes is that there's no need to assemble each part of the dish separately-- everything bakes together which means less clean-up and more flavor.
The veggies, shrimp, and sausage all take on flavors from each other as they cook, and the dressing mixture (as I like to call it) coats everything. In the end, the juices from all of the ingredients combine with that dressing to create a sort of pan sauce that you can serve over rice if you so choose, or just sop up with the veggies or some crusty bread.
Yum.
WHY DON'T YOU ADD THE SHRIMP AND VEGGIES AT THE SAME TIME?
Some similar recipes out there roast the shrimp and vegetables for the same amount of time, but shrimp take significantly less time to cook through than vegetables do. Cooking shrimp for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees is too much-- instead, adding them in at halfway through the baking process will ensure that your shrimp are perfectly cooked through and still tender-- not at all tough and rubbery.
CAN I USE CHICKEN INSTEAD OF SHRIMP?
You can substitute chicken instead of shrimp if you'd like. Cube your boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs and add them in at the same time as your veggies and andouille sausage. They will take longer to cook than the shrimp would. It should take about 20 total minutes if using chicken breast chunks, and about 30 if using chicken thigh chunks-- but be sure to check that they're cooked through and no longer pink in the center first.
HOW TO MAKE IT AHEAD
If you'd like to make this Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Sheet Pan recipe for meal prep for the week or for freezer meals, you can absolutely do that!
Transferred to a covered container, the sheet pan meal will last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Transferred to freezer bags (with the air pushed out), the sheet pan meal can be frozen from up to 5 months.
MORE SHEET PAN RECIPES TO ENJOY
- Sheet Pan Chili-Lime Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
- Sheet Pan Thai Peanut-Chili Chicken
- Sheet-Pan Tandoori Chicken & Vegetables
- Chipotle Chicken Sheet Pan Quesadilla with Avocado Salsa Verde
- Sheet Pan Maple Pecan Crusted Chicken & Roasted Vegetables
- Sheet Pan Cheesesteak Nachos
WATCH THE VIDEO
Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Sheet Pan
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined,
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasonings
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 14 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
- 2-3 medium-sized zucchini or summer squash, sliced and cut into half-moons
- 2-3 large bell peppers, chopped into chunks
- 12 ounces green beans
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- Rice, to serve, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse the shrimp and dry with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, honey, cajun seasonings, and garlic to create the Cajun dressing. Set aside.
- On a medium-sized sheet pan, add the sausage, summer squash, bell peppers, and green beans. Drizzle over enough of the Cajun dressing mixture to coat, and toss well to combine. Spread into an even layer and bake until lightly tender, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with the remaining Cajun dressing. When the vegetables have partially baked, add the shrimp. Drizzle with any dressing that sunk to the bottom of the bowl. Bake until the shrimp is cooked through (but be careful not to overcook!) about 8 more minutes.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm, with rice, if desired.
- Prep Time: 12 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
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