One Pot Jambalaya Pasta
One Pot Jambalaya Pasta brings the taste of the bayou right to your kitchen for a convenient, no-fuss, and flavorful weeknight meal. Packed with shrimp, sausage, and zesty Cajun seasoning, your whole family will be begging for seconds.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
- Ready in under 30 minutes with just one pot to wash!
- Traditional jambalaya flavor The mix of Cajun seasoning, earthy fire-roasted tomatoes, and seafood bring together an irresistible bayou flavor.
- Feeds a crowd, so it’s perfect for those larger gatherings or family dinners. Go ahead and double the recipe to cater to a big group.
Bring a Bit of Cajun Country to Your Kitchen with this Easy Jambalaya Pasta Recipe
If there’s one thing I’ve come to appreciate while juggling a busy schedule, it’s the magic of one pot recipes. There’s nothing quite like them with you’re craving something hearty and flavorful but don’t want to deal with a mountain of dishes!
Cooking should always be as enjoyable as the meal itself. A big part of that is simplifying the process and cutting down on stress without sacrificing flavor.
Jambalaya is a staple in our kitchen (and yes, I use the Zatarain’s mix!) but one day not too long ago I decided to mix things up by using the same delicious cajun flavors in a creamy pasta dish instead of with white rice. The end result was so delicious! The creamy sauce is jam-packed with classic jambalaya flavors that immediately transported me back to my first trip to New Orleans. And, bonus, the leftovers reheat great the next day. Which is definitely a good thing, since this recipe makes a ton!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Bell Pepper, Celery, and Onion: Known as the “holy trinity” this combination is a must for making up the base of Cajun and Creole cuisine. You can use any color pepper you have one hand. I usually use a green bell pepper, but this time around I oddly only had yellow. You can use a red or yellow onion.
Andouille sausage: Another Louisiana classic! I like Aidells andouille, which is pretty easy to find in almost any grocery store. It has a nice smoky flavor and isn’t too spicy. If you can’t find andoiulle, you can swap in another smoked sausage, like kielbasa.
Shrimp: I always add some shrimp to my jambalaya, and this jambalaya pasta recipe is no exception. I keep a big bag of it in my freezer almost exclusively for this purpose! You can leave it out if you want to keep costs down, but I love the flavor and texture that it provides.
Chicken stock: One of my favorite things about making one pot pastas is that you can add extra flavor by cooking it in stock or broth instead of water.
Fire roasted tomatoes: Fire roasted tomatoes add another layer of smokey flavor that works really nicely with the andouille. You can swap in regular tomatoes if that’s all you have.
Penne pasta: hands down my favorite pasta shape.
Heavy cream: To tone down the heat and bring the sauce together into an amazing tomato-cream sauce that will have you licking your lips!
Cajun seasoning: You can use a prepared blend, like Tony Chachere’s or make your own homemade Cajun seasoning. For less heat, you can use Creole seasoning instead. It has a similar flavor, but less emphasis on pepper and more on earthy spices liek oregano and thyme.
Olive Oil
Garlic
How To Make One Pot Jambalaya Pasta
Sprinkle the shrimp and sausage with Cajun seasoning and cook in a little oil. This step is optional, but it helps open up the flavors of the spices, making them more pronounced. It also give the meats a better texture. Note that you aren’t looking to cook the meat fully in this step, you just want to brown is a little.
Add the vegetables, tomatoes, broth, and pasta. Stir it well so everything is incorporated and the pasta is fully submerged in liquid.
Cook for about 10 minutes, until the pasta and shrimp and cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Stir in the cream and garnish with chopped green onions.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you have a large enough pot. This is a one pot meal, but it needs space for all the delicious ingredients! This 12-inch skillet is one of my favorites and gets a workout in my kitchen. You can also use a 5 quart Dutch Oven, especially if you’re looking to double the recipe.
- Dicing the vegetables small means they’ll cook up nicely in the sauce without needing to be sauteed seperately. Yay for one less step in the cooking process! You can use a knife, but I also LOVE using a mini chop for this.
- If the pasta is too spicy for your liking, add another splash of cream to mellow it out. Want it spicier? Add a splash of your favorite Louisianna hot sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the microwave, but I prefer heating it up in a skillet. Pasta has a tendency to dry out in the fridge, but if you add a splash of milk or cream as you reheat it, it will return to it’s fabulously creamy state.
I don’t love freezing pasta, since it tends to lose it’s texture.
Of course! You can simply omit the shrimp or replace it with another protein like diced chicken.
Absolutely! Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and replace the shrimp and andouille sausage with plant-based protein alternatives.
Please don’t. Canned tomatoes are packages at their peak ripeness and are nice and juicy. Swapping them for fresh tomatoes will result in a much dryer dish, and there might not be enough liquid to properly cook the pasta.
Yes, but make sure your pot is big enough to fit everything! You’ll need a large skillet or Dutch oven if you’re making a big batch.
Nope! It is similar, but my recipe uses penne pasta instead of linguine, so the sauce has all those nice ridges to stick to. I also chop my vegetables smaller so they cook faster and integrate more with the sauce.
Other one pot pasta recipes you might like:
- Easy One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- One Pot Creamy Pesto Pasta
- Sausage and Eggplant One Pot Pasta
- One Pot Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
- One Pot Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti
One Pot Jambalaya Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 links andouille sausage thinly sliced
- ½ pound shrimp frozen, uncooked
- 2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning divided
- 1 small red onion diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 2 celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced (or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder)
- ½ pound penne
- 1 can (14 ounces) diced fire roasted tomatoes undrained
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- green onion sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and sliced sausage; stir in 1 Tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning. Cook 3-4 minutes, until the seasonings are toasted and the sausage begins to curl on the edges.
- Stir in the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, tomatoes, broth, pasta, salt, and remaining Cajun seasoning. The pasta should be fully submerged in liquid.
- Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes, or until the shrim is cooked through and the pasta is al dente.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy cream.
- Garnish with green onions.
