Easy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta with all the delicious bold Louisiana flavor you love in just 30 minutes. A tasty Cheesecake Factory copycat!
If you love Classic Jambalaya, you won’t regret this amazing Pasta Recipe! Also known as pastalya, it’s a breeze to make with all the bold Cajun flavors you love. For a similar dish, check out my Cajun Chicken Pasta too.
Sabrina’s Cajun Jambalaya Pasta Recipe
You might think Louisiana flavors have to take a lot of effort but I promise this pasta will knock your socks off in less than 30 minutes! It’s packed with everything that makes jambalaya so delicious – tender chicken and shrimp, spicy sausage, bell peppers, and of course that signature bold Cajun seasoning!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast , cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound shrimp , deveined
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage , sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 3 tablespoons Cajun spice blend
- 1/2 red bell pepper , diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper , diced
- 1/2 red onion , thinly diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium tomato , diced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta , cooked but not rinsed
- parsley and leftover minced bell peppers , for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta, 1 minute shy of al dente according to the package directions. Drain but do not rinse. You can reserve a cup of pasta water, in case you need it.
- In a large bowl add the chicken, shrimp, sausage, cajun spices, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss well until everything is coated in spices.
- In a large skillet or a cast iron skillet add the oil on high heat.
- In two batches sear off the ingredients you tossed in the bowl until the chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the pan with all the cooked ingredients.
- Cook for a minute or two then add in the cooked pasta and using tongs coat the pasta with the sauce.
- Garnish with parsley and leftover minced bell peppers if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About This Recipe
You can make this dish with your favorite store-bought Cajun spice but I love to use my own homemade version. And lucky for you I’ve included it for you to add to your recipe box! If you really want a kick, up the cayenne pepper or add a couple dashes of hot sauce.
Tips and Tricks
You don’t need to use Zatarain’s to make a quick jambalaya and those boxes of dinner kits are not going to have half the flavor of making it yourself. Want a shortcut, buy some Cajun seasoning and you’re 75% of the way there already. But for full flavor, try my homemade seasoning blend below.
Homemade Cajun Seasoning
- The following amounts should give you the 3 tablespoons of seasoning you need for this recipe:
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon onion powder
¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ teaspoons dried oregano
¾ teaspoons dried thyme
How to Store
- Store: Do not leave Jambalaya at room temperature longer than 2 hours before refrigerating. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Ladle the jambalaya, removing the shrimp from the bowl and setting it aside. Cover with a wet paper towel and microwave until very hot (for us this is 3-4 minutes). Lift the paper towel, add the shrimp into the bowl, recover it, and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, reheat the shrimp in a skillet over medium heat. The shrimp will be hot but not rubbery as it would be if you were to cook it a second time in the microwave.
- Freeze: You can also freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations
- Homemade Cajun Seasoning: To make your own cajun seasoning, mix 1 ½ teaspoon each of: salt, garlic powder, and paprika with ¾ teaspoon each of: coarse ground black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, and dried thyme. These are the amounts I use but feel free to increase and decrease the spices for your taste!
- Cream Pasta: Want to make this into a creamy jambalaya pasta? Add a ½ a cup of heavy cream in after your chicken stock.
Related Recipes
More Delicious Cajun Dishes!
I have been looking at this recipe for the past couple of years tossing back and forth if I wanted to attempt to make it and how would it come out. Last night, I threw caution to the wind and made it. OMG Sabrina, my family thanks you for this. Came out amazing I did add heavy cream and cornstarch to thicken and the sauce it created was just pure heaven. I will definitely put this in my dinner rotation. The only thing I would do different will be to cut down the amount of Cajun spice I use to about 2 tablespoons. Thank you so much.
Yay! I’m so glad you finally decided to give it a try.
This was absolutely delicious! My husband and I are making all of our favorite meals for our anniversary week and pasta jambalaya was a biggie for us because we met on a trail crew and ate a lot of Zatarain’s. They discontinued their pasta version, but I stumbled upon this recipe and we were both blown away.
I used a can of diced tomatoes because it was all we had and did end up adding a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it at the end as my sauce was a little thin due to this, but wow. Amazing flavor and combo of ingredients, and easy to whip up as well. Can’t wait to make it again (and again and again) for the rest of my family!
I’ve made this twice and loved it both times. I like spicy seasonings so I added extra cayenne. Came out great!
Oh my! This was delicious! I worked at the Cheesecake factory 20 years ago and this was my all-time fav of theirs. I never dreamed of making it myself. I followed the directions to the letter, and added the half cup cream. My only suggestion, as others have noted, the sauce was a little thin, so I added a tablespoon of cornstarch while cooking and it thickened up perfectly. MANY thanks for sharing such an amazing dish!
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try, Michelle!
Can you use a can of diced tomatoes in this recipe?
Sure 🙂
This was awesome! A little too spicy for my kids, can I use coconut milk to make it less spicy?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. You can add coconut milk or even cut back on the cajun spice blend. Hope this helps for next time.
This is my favorite “go to” recipe. My family and I ate at a restaurant called Yard House in Atlantic Station, that had a similar recipe. The waitress suggested to order pasta instead of rice and it was wonderful. This recipe is perfect Sabrina ! Thank you for sharing. God bless!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for coming back and let me know!
This was good but spicy even with a mild Cajun spice. I removed the sausage then the shrimp and made sure the chicken was done for each batch. I think I will try a little half and half cream next time.
mmm adding cream would be a great addition!
I add alfredo sauce. Super delicious
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I made it for my family and the spice was just perfect and I especially love how the pasta was combined with the sauce! Thank you Sabrina for your fantastic recipe! ?
Please reply, thanks :))
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I made it for my family and the spice was just perfect and I especially love how the pasta was combined with the sauce! Thank you Sabrina for your fantastic recipe! ?
Please reply, thanks :))
Aw Gen, I’m so glad you liked the recipe! I agree, the spice and sauce are a perfect blend! Thanks for being a fan and hope to make more recipes to add your favorite list.
Best,
Sabrina
Made this once with the pasta but would like to try with rice but not sure how much I should do you have suggestions?
I would suggest adding in the cooked rice as you did with the cooked pasta or you could even just spoon this over a plate of rice. Enjoy!
It turned out way too watery for me. The sauce didn’t stick to the pasta at all.
Great flavors and easy to make. The sauce seemed to be too thin and didn’t look like it did in your picture. Is there a way to thicken it? Maybe I didn’t let it simmer long enough before adding the pasta. Great recipe…. definitely will be making it again.
We all Loved this recipe, don’t have a cheese cake factory, so nothing to compare it to. But can’t imagine theirs could be better than this was. Already can’t wait to make again.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Didn’t like this recipe, really didn’t have good flavor at all.
I’m sorry it didn’t live up to your expectation.
You use the homemade Cajun seasoning and tripled it and used all of it
Do you use chicken stock or chicken broth? The ingredients and directions say two different things.
I like to use Better than Bouillon base to make it. Use whatever you prefer. 🙂
Made this over the weekend. Absolutely delicious. Better than the cheesecake factory because I made it myself. Unbelievable how good it was. Thank you.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know.
I tried your recipe today. The results were amazing! I used creole seasoning. Quick and easy.
What size shrimp should we use?
I use 13-15 count shrimp in recipes, but you can also use 16-20 in this recipe with no issues.
This was fantastic. I made it for my whole family and my four year old couldn’t get enough of it. My two year old kept saying “it’s spicy” but wouldn’t stop eating it. It has the perfect amount of spice. We will definitely be making this again!
Okay that right there just made my day, I want your kids to convince mine to try my pastas! I get the “cheese or butter only” requests still!
My wife made this because I was too busy, but this is the best I have every had.
Yay, thanks for coming back to let me know!
Omg this pasta was delicious! My sons loved it!
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Meka! So glad you all enjoyed it!
It would be really nice if you had shown how to do this in a Pressure cooker also.
I’ve never tested it using a pressure cooker. You might be able to find a recipe online with similar ingredients and follow that as a guideline.
This tasted really good but i used tony cacheres seasoning for my cajun seasoning and omitted the additional salt called for. I should have known better bc it’s happened before… but with Tony’s at 3tbsp it was too salty for me and even my husband commented on it being a little too spicy! But other than that if i adjust my seasonings the flavor was great and right on par with regular jambalaya.
I made it and it’s probably my best dish to date.
Because I’m lactose intolerant – I added flour to thicken the sauce – I like my pasta dishes saucey.
I put it in lunch bowls and take it to work – every time I take a bite, its like tasting the dish for the 1st time.
So flavorful!
So glad you enjoyed it, Abby!
I am making this today and I need to double up so I just double all ingredients or?
Yes 🙂
trying this today for a potluck for work tomorrow I hope my co-workers enjoy
OMG!! Never had it @Cheesecake Factory… I love this from the Acadiana Cajun Café (San Antonio, TX).
It came out Amazing!!
I made my own Ready-Made Cajun spice shaker for my next cooking sessions!! Thank You!
No leftovers at all! It was a hit And I’ll be making it again on Thursday for company.
So glad you enjoyed it, Dawn!
This was easy and fabulously spicy. All of the ingredients came together quickly and blended nicely. Thanks for the recipe- will definitely make it again soon.
You’re welcome Cyndi!
Ummm Ummm Good! Easy to prepare and cook, with great depth of flavor! I prepared half with brown rice(no cream) and half with pasta(cream added). Leftovers were 10 times as good!
My son and I decided it’s a keeper for family recipes.
Awww, that’s so sweet! You totally made my day! I’m so glad you made it and then came back to tell me about it!
How much Cajun seasoning of the slap your mama?
3 tablespoons…enjoy!
I Would Love To Try This But I’m A Pescatarian And I Only Want The Shrimp So How Much Shrimp Would I Use And Would Everything Else Stay The Same
I would recommend 1 1/2 – 2 lbs of shrimp. Enjoy!
I thoroughly enjoyed this. My kids found it too spicy, but I think that’s bc the recipe for spice only made one TBS of seasoning so I used 2 TBS of Cajun seasoning from the best stop in Louisiana, and it’s a little spicier than the recipe for Cajun seasoning here. I also added a little flour mixed with water to thicken it up a little as well. Delicious.
So yeah, this was amazing! I’m not a seasoned cook, so I’m always nervous when trying something new. This one rocked!!
Thank you so much! My mom who hates pasta asked for seconds! Great Cajun Seasoning recipe. I have never been able to create my own cajun pasta, thank you so much!!!
I’d call that a success! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
sooooo good–we added some FF cream cheese at end to make a bit creamier and cut the spice. Even better second day, makes a HUGE pot!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
What is FF cream cheese? I’m wondering if anyone has tried it with her suggestion of using the heavy cream? If cream cheese would work the same, will you let me know? Thanks, Bev
FF= fat free
There is a typo in the recipe. The seasonings only add up to 3 teaspoons but the recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of cajun seasoning. which one is it?
Thank you so much for catching that! You should use 3 tablespoons for the recipe so triple the seasoning mix. I’ve edited to read correctly now. I hope you enjoy it!
can you double the recipe?
You sure can!
This recipe is amazing the flavor really pop.. Thank you so much… the only change i made was tomato paste since i didn’t have any tomatoes ,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Not a plate left with anything on it! This was a deeeeeelicious recipe!
I’d call that a winner!! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Jen!
I made this tonight… while the flavour was quite good, I found my meat steamed in the tomato/chicken broth sauce. As well the tomato broth was just watery. I think I would keep the meat separate from the juice until the very end or add chopped tomatoes.
If you’re finding that it steamed the meat, you can definitely separate it.
I just made this tonight and everyone loved it and I Absolutely loved it. I love anything that has anything to do with pasta. Minus the sausage which I didn’t put in. Next time I will. but this was a great recipe. ???????
Thanks for the 5 star rating Yazmin! Glad you all enjoyed it!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit with my family! The flavors are absolutely amazing! Adding this delicious meal into my regular rotation.
Awesome Kate! I love it when the whole family loves a dish!
This looks SO incredibly flavorful! I’d love it for dinner tonight!
Thanks Cathy!
I’m allergic to shellfish / seafood now but used to eat it before. Do you know a safe substitute for shrimp to get that great flavor without the risk.
I would suggest using Better than Bouillon Fish Base to help with the flavor. It’s made from white fish so as long as that’s not on your allergy list, it’ll be a great substitution.
Use the fish Base instead of chicken stock all together?
Yes 🙂
This Cajun Jambalaya Pasta looks so perfect for our fall dinners! This is on my next to make recipes!
Thank you Catalina!
This looks fantastic! Like a dream!
Heavens, that looks so amazingly flavorful and delicious!
Thank you Kimberly! It really is!!
Love this dish at The Cheesecake Factory, so I love that I can make my own now!
Thanks Amanda! Enjoy!!
I love the flavors here, and it looks amazing — Can’t wait to make this!