Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
Creole seasoned chicken, shrimp, sausage, and vegetable smothered in flavorful spices makes an impressive and absolutely deliciously, satisfying meal. The best part is that you can customize this awesomeness to meet your preference. Make it meat free and replace with all veggies or plant based proteins. Increase or decrease the spiciness to meet your palate level of heat or no heat. You can whip this dish up in no time to deliver a long time family favorite, mid week, go-to dinner.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound fettuccine
- 1 pound chicken boneless and skinless (breast or thighs)
- ½ pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- ½ pound meat of choice sliced 1-inch thick
- 2 tbsp olive oil or canola oil
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced half moons
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced (to taste)
- 3 medium tomatoes diced or 15 ounce canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Creole seasoning
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced (or you can use green bell pepper)
- 1½ - 2 cups chicken broth or vegatable broth
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped or dried
Recipe Ingredient Notes
- Fettuccine – This wider noodle is the perfect carrier for the jambalaya sauce. But you can use your preferred pasta 😉 Meat – Enjoy the meaty goodness with chicken, shrimp, kielbasa or plant based meat options. The flavors meld beautifully in this pasta recipe. But you can use chorizo, Italian sausage, hot links or Andouille for an equally delicious meal.
- Veggies – Sauteed onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes add a blast of color and flavor to make it more enticing.
- Spices – Creole spices and paprika deliver authentic Cajun flavor to this pasta dish. Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth provide savory umami.
- Cornstarch – thickens your sauce so it’ll cling to the pasta. Feel free to replace it with arrowroot powder for a grain free option.
Instructions
- Begin boiling pasta water:In a large pot add enough water to begin the boiling process for pasta. Cover with lid. Add salt when you hear rolling boil. A pot of water can take up to 12 minutes to come to a boil.
- Season: Lightly season and rub the chicken and shrimp with Creole spice.
- Sauté Shrimp: Heat oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven. Sauté shrimp for 3-5 minutes, remove with a large spoon and set aside.
- Sauté Chicken: Then add chicken and sausage, and sauté until browned on both sides for about 5 minutes. You can confirm doneness by using a meat thermometer registering at 160 degrees. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Sauté Veggies: To the same pan add onions, tomatoes, garlic, and cornstarch. Stir for about a minute. Then add thyme, paprika, and Creole spice. Follow with bell peppers, chicken broth, sausage, chicken, and Worcestershire sauce. Note: for deeper flavor — deglaze the pan with 1 cup of wine, allow to simmer on medium low for about 5 minutes reducing by half, then add chicken stock
- Simmer Sauce: Bring it to a gentle boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 7-10 minutes.
- Add pasta to water: While your jambalaya sauce is simmering, cook your pasta according to the package instructions.Test pasta for donenness: pull a stand from the water. Take a bit. Pasta should be Al dente, meaning it should have a tooth-feel. Not mushy yet not raw. Just in the middle and to your liking. Using a colander, place in your sink with a measuring cup just under the colander. As you drain your pasta, the cup will catch some the water you may need for your sauce. This reserves water will help to thin out the sauce if needed and will had a bit of texture and glossiness to your sauce.Drain the water and set pasta aside. Or using tongs place in warm pasta bowls.
- Toss the shrimp back into the sauce mixture and adjust for seasonings and thickness of sauce. If too thick add ¼ cup of pasta water at a time. Stir and allow to simmer a few moments before adding additional ¼ cup of pasta water. Taste. Adjust seasonings.
- Plate fettuccine in medium warm bowls. Ladle Cajun Jambalaya Sauce over pasta. Enjoy.
TIPS AND NOTES
- Important — Devein the shrimp before cooking.
- Slice meats and veggies into uniform sizes for even cooking.
- Add the cooked shrimp at the end as toppings to the pasta to avoid overcooking them.
- Add the sauce to the pasta right when it’s ready to serve, to avoid soggy pasta.
Recipe Variations
- Creamy and Cheesy – Enjoy creamy goodness with a dash of heavy cream for an extra wow factor. And, of course, the cheese will surely make it better. Grated mozzarella, parmesan, or pepper jack cheese sounds amazing.
- Amp the Heat – Be a spice rebel and ramp up the heat with habanero, serrano, jalapeno, or Scotch bonnet pepper. But don’t sweat it too much because cayenne and pepper flakes are fine, too.
- Meat Swap – Go for a seafood fiesta with crab, squid, mussels, and scallops. A Cajun paella 😉 Yum!
Make-Ahead Instructions
- If making Creole jambalaya pasta ahead, I suggest waiting to cook the shrimp to avoid overcooking them when you reheat the pasta. Instead, saute the shrimp and toss them in when you’re ready to serve. Cook the sauce and pasta and store them in the fridge in separate airtight containers.
Serving and Storing Instructions
- You can’t go wrong with bread and a salad because they’re the ultimate pasta duo. Serve this Cajun-style jambalaya pasta with garlic bread and a tossed salad to complete the restaurant-style experience.
- Pasta – Cooked pasta will stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw frozen pasta in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat, place the pasta and sauce in a baking dish, cover it, and bake it for about 15 minutes at 350℉/177℃.
- Sauce – Store the sauce in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for three days in the fridge or in the freezer for six months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, and reheat it in the oven, stovetop, or microwave.
- Leftover jambalaya will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat them in the oven, on the stove, or in the microwave.