Creamy Cajun Pastalaya – just like jambalaya but better, made with pasta instead and with a creamy sauce and Fontina cheese. Great crowd pleaser and super simple!
I love trying all types of different dishes from all over the world, especially ones packed with flavor, a little bit of heat, and plenty of perfect texture. One of these dishes is this delicious pastalaya, which it’s pretty similar to your regular jambalaya but it’s made with pasta. I also wanted to put my own spin on this recipe and turned it into a creamy version with a creamy sauce and one of my favorite cheeses, Fontina cheese.
What Is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a Louisiana origin dish with lots of Spanish and French influence. It consists mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, this dish always includes sausage of some sort such as andouille, along with other meat or seafood.
I decided to use pasta today, with some cream, cajun spice, and pasta rather than rice – hence pastalaya!
What Is Mafalda Pasta?
If you’re unfamiliar with this style of pasta, I don’t blame you – I mean it’s not exactly common. This style almost looks like shrunken down lasagna sheets which means they’ll be totally twirl-able when incorporated into your dish. I promise you’ll be able to find them at your local grocery store but if not any small shaped pasta will work just fine.
Ingredients
We’ve got a bit of a long ingredient list here, but it is all crucial for developing that deep interesting flavor that we expect in a jambalaya. Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Chicken – I used breast for this recipe but thighs would work just as well.
- Seasoning – Salt, pepper and chili powder are all we’re going to need.
- Sausage – I’ve made this dish with andouille sausage but Italian or any smoked sausages but feel free to try others such as chorizo, or even kielbasa.
- Shrimp – Large, peeled and deveined.
- Aromatics – Fresh onion and garlic are our aromatics for this dish. If minced is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 1/2 teaspoons is equivalent to one fresh clove.
- Veggies – Bell pepper, every color, and celery.
- Broth – Low sodium chicken broth is best as we want to control our sodium content.
- Cream – Use whichever fat content you’d like although I recommend it be heavy.
- Pasta – I used mafalda as we want something that really hold onto our sauce but any larger shaped pasta will do. If you’re not feeling pasta this dish is beautiful served over rice.
- Cheese – I used my favorite for this recipe! Freshly shredded Fontina cheese.
- Garnish – Fresh sliced green onion and cilantro to sprinkle liberally on top!
How To Prep Your Shrimp
You’ll want to start at the small legs on the shrimp. Simply pull those off and the rest of the shell should start to release. Pull off the rest of the shell – but keep the tails on. To remove the vein along the top simply cut a slit with a small knife down the middle of the shrimp’s back before removing the black vein with the tip of your knife.
How To Make Creamy Cajun Pastalaya
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Saute your shrimp: Season the shrimp with about 1/2 tbsp of the cajun seasoning and set aside. In a large skillet or Dutch oven heat the olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook on both sides until it turns pink, about 2 min per side, could be less depending on the size of your shrimp. Remove the shrimp from the pot and set aside.
- Brown the protein: Add the chicken and sausage to the pot, and sprinkle about 1 tbsp of the cajun seasoning over the chicken. Stir everything together and cook until the chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Combine the jambalaya: Add the onion, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook until the onion becomes translucent, about 3 minutes. Add all the peppers and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tbsp of cajun seasoning over the peppers, stir well and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Make it creamy: Add the chicken broth and heavy cream to the skillet, stir and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add the shrimp back to the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil, then add the cooked pasta and about 1/2 cup of the shredded Fontina cheese. Stir everything together.
- Finish the dish: Remove from heat, then garnish with the remaining Fontina cheese, green onions and parsley. The pasta will continue to soak up the sauce. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftover for up to 3 days.
Want To Make Your Own Cajun Spice Blend?
If you can’t find a jar of this in your local grocery store you can most definitely make this spice blend at home! Here’s my recipe for cajun seasoning.
Different Sausages To Use For Jambalaya
- Jambalaya is great with a Mexican chorizo sausage.
- Andouille sausage which is a smoked sausage made from pork. This is what I used today.
- Italian sausage, especially if you like a spicier dish!
- You can also use Kielbasa which is a Polish sausage. It’s flavored with caraway seeds and made with pork. It’s delicious!
Not A Fontina Fan?
Fontina cheese is known for its earthy, mushroomy and woody taste. If you don’t like Fontina cheese, feel free to use a Mozzarella or even a Monterey Jack cheese.
Leftovers
This recipe will last well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 – 4 days. If you’d like to freeze this recipe you may want to only make the sauce and store for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge over night and make the pasta fresh as needed.
More Great Recipes To Try:
- Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine
- Cajun Shrimp with Tomato Alfredo Pasta
- Creamy Cajun Pastalaya
- Cajun Meatballs in Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Greek Chicken Pasta
- Shrimp Scampi
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Creamy Cajun Pastalaya
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry pasta I used mafalda
- 8 oz shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp cajun spice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 oz chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into small bite size pieces, about 1 large chicken breast
- 1 andouille sausage or smoked sausage, cut into slices
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper julienned
- 1/2 green bell pepper julienned
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper julienned
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 cup Fontina cheese shredded
- 3 green onions chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Season the shrimp with about 1/2 tbsp of the cajun seasoning and set aside.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven heat the olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook on both sides until it turns pink, about 2 min per side, could be less depending on the size of your shrimp. Remove the shrimp from the pot and set aside.
- Add the chicken and sausage to the pot, and sprinkle about 1 tbsp of the cajun seasoning over the chicken. Stir everything together and cook until the chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook until the onion becomes translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add all the peppers and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tbsp of cajun seasoning over the peppers, stir well and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and heavy cream to the skillet, stir and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add the shrimp back to the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil, then add the cooked pasta and about 1/2 cup of the shredded Fontina cheese. Stir everything together.
- Remove from heat, then garnish with the remaining Fontina cheese, green onions and parsley. The pasta will continue to soak up the sauce.
- Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftover for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- I used Mafalda pasta in this recipe, but you can use any type that you like. This recipe works best with shorter types like penne, rotini, or farfalle.
- You should be able to find andouille sausage in the deli section of your local grocery store. If you can’t, then any type of smoked sausage or chorizo will work.
- Fontina cheese is known for its earthy, mushroomy and woody taste. If you don’t like Fontina cheese, feel free to use a Mozzarella or even a Monterey Jack cheese.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Could I add mushrooms to this dish? Would I need to change anything?
Hi Marla,
You can definitely add some mushrooms to the dish. They will go well with the Fontina cheese too. Let us know how it turns out!
Came out great! I used 8oz of portobella mushrooms and added them with the onion and celery. Deloius recipe! I have tried many of your recipes and I’m never disappointed. Thank you so much Jo for great recipes!
That’s wonderful Marla! So glad you enjoyed it!!
I have made something similar and it is a family favorite. Happy to see this recipe as a Cajun showed me how to make it originally and she doesn’t use measuring utensils. A handful of this a pinch of that… you know the routine. This recipe allows me to use the same measurement each time. It is delicious!
I’m so glad to hear you guys liked it!
I love most of your recipes and have printed this one to try. I have the pasta from the last time you mentioned it. I do have a question, however. Where do you get kielbasa that has caraway seeds and pork? I haven’t found a kielbasa that I like yet.
We have a couple stores in Calgary, one’s the Italian Center and one is a Polish store, and they usually have the best deli. So if you have some sort of European markets in your area, try those.
Try looking up kielbasa Buffalo, NY
It was simple to make and delicious. I will be making it alot.
Just tried this recipy for dinner.
Wow!
Delicious, the whole family enjoyed, no loved it.
Thank you for your great work
It definitely is an eye pleaser, I amsure it would be a great crowd pleaser.
WOW!! I just made this for dinner and it is incredible! Thanks for this fantastic recipe!
Looks yummy! Will be making this recipe soon, Jo. I live in south Louisiana, close to the Gulf of Mexico – heart of Cajun country so I know a good jambalaya recipe when I see one. Your spin on using pasta vs. rice sounds delicious. A true jambalaya adds either tomatoes, tomato paste or tomato sauce, but would not be warranted in this case with since the base is a cream sauce.
Hope you like it Michele!
Looks outstanding, Jo! Of course anything with Cajun flavors is GREAT with me!