Easy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta with chicken, sausage and shrimp and all the delicious deep Louisiana flavor in just 30 minutes!
Easy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta sounds like I’m trying to trick you guys, I know. You think Louisiana flavors have to take a lot of effort and I promise this dish will knock your socks off in less than 30 minutes!
This Easy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta is made with a pre-made cajun spice but I used my own homemade version which I’ve detailed below. Want something with a bit of a kick? Add double the cayenne pepper.
Some tips about this Cajun Jambalaya Pasta:
- Want to make this into a creamy jambalaya pasta? Add a ½ a cup of heavy cream in after your chicken stock.
- 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.
- This recipe is based on a recipe from The Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta with some alterations made to make it easier and quicker.
So if you’re craving easy jambalaya pasta (also known as pastalaya) you won’t regret this dish, its a breeze to make and if you’re looking to make your own cajun seasoning I’ve listed my blend below:
Homemade cajun seasoning (triple this for the recipe):
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoons dried thyme
Looking for more delicious Pasta recipes?
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta (Copycat)
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
- CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Tequila Fettuccine (CPK Copycat)
Tools Used in the making of this Cajun Jambalaya Pasta:
Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Cajun Seasoning: If you want to grab a jar and skip the homemade blend.
Chef’s Knife: This knife is one of the three most used tools in my kitchen.
Tongs: are great for tossing all the spices with the ingredients and getting them in and out of the pan.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into 1? pieces
- 1/2 pound shrimp deveined
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage sliced into 1/2? 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 ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 pound fettucine pasta cooked but not rinsed
- parsley and leftover minced bell peppers for garnish
Instructions
- 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 in a bowl and toss.
- In a large skillet or a cast iron skillet add the canola oil on high heat.
- In two batches sear off the ingredients until they're 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
I made this tonight after craving the cheesecake factory’s version and man was it good!! Even my picky eater 7 year old loved it and ate her entire bowl. I did use Tony’s seasoning out of convenience and it was a tad on the salty side, more than I’d like but not too unbearable it was still really delicious. I like cream sauces so I did add some heavy cream. I also added some asparagus, yellow squash, fresh lemon juice and shredded parm for a garnish. Again super delicious thanks for this easy delicious recipe!!
AWESOME recipe! Thank you. I add more cayenne for more kick. 🙂
My solders son was visiting for Christmas I made this the other nite he loved it , very good . I-made one batch of home spices and then sprinkled some Tony Cajun on, thought everyone could add more if wanted
Easy to make and the flavor is outstanding, one pound of noodles is to much I will cut in half next time and maybe use bow-tie noodles only because they are not as sloppy when eating.
I used cooked and deveined shrimp added at the end just to warm, used 2 bags of birdseye colored peppers and onions to make it easy and basically follow your recipe fast this recipe hubby asked me to make it again and again
This was awesome!! I didn’t have any sausage, so I cut back 1tbsp of the cajun seasoning. I made a skillet with shrimp for me and the hubby, and one without for my allergy kids… and they loved it! One of my children thought it was quite spicy, but couldn’t stop eating it. Lol. I love spicy foods! I had to apologize to my husband with his heartburn. Told him he’s going to have to take a couple Tums tonight? Thanks! Definitely a keeper?
Very good. Made some modifications:
– omitted the shrimp (did not have any on hand) and it would be tricky not to overcook it.
– cooked the proteins and veggies separately and in batches. Sausage first, then chicken (in the sausage oil), then veggies. Each batch was cooked for 4 -5 minutes over medium high heat, being careful not to crowd the pan. Kind of like a stir fry. Allowed for better browning of the proteins.
– added the garlic to the pan and stirred for about a minute.
– added the proteins back, then added 2 tablespoons of Paul Prudhomme Chicken Magic (3 would have been too much). Cooked for about 1 minute to allow the spices to bloom.
– added about 1/4 cup of chicken broth (enough to deglaze the pan), scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
– added the rest of the chicken broth, then brought the mixture up just about to a slow boil.
– removed from heat. add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (instead of the cream), cut up into about 6 pieces (to facilitate melting), stirring it into the mixture.
– added the cooked pasta, tossed and served!
My toddler and I LOVE to try different recipes. It’s one of the only ways I can get him to eat is if he helps. We will try tomorrow and report back here!
It did not turn out well for me. The sauce was so thin it wasn’t sticking to pasta!
I am so sorry Meka! Maybe, I have another recipe that would work better for you!
How is the carbs 2g when there’s a pound of fettuccine in this dish?
Adds a tablespoon of corn starch!
After applying step #4, remove all the vegetables & meat from the pan, then either make a rue or corn starch / flour to the sauce so as to thicken it.
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing. Made it tonight and it was delicious. My wife and I like spicy food so we did add 1 additional tsp of cayenne pepper and 2 diced jalapeños. Like others have said, it’s a keeper recipe and we have lots of yummy leftovers.
Chuck, this is awesome thank you for the support! Thrilled you guys enjoyed it!
Loved it, but a tad spicy. Too spicy for my wife and kids. Going to make it again and try to bring it down a notch
Can I use chicken thigh meat instead of breast meat.?
Sure!
Very delicious will be making it agin !! Added heavy cream to the dish and made it more creamy !!
Thank you for this quick, delicious and pretty darn healthy recipe. I have made this a lot, exactly as written and with variations such as adding half and half, cream cheese, etc. Very easy recipe to make your own depending on what you have on hand.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Ash. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Hi! I made this last night- and overall it was good…….but SUPER salty. Luckily my husband loves extra salty things, but for me it was way too much.
Reading the reviews it doesn’t seem like anyone else had this problem so I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong LOL. 3 TBL of cajun seasoning and 1/2 tsp salt – maybe I’ll try omitting the salt and cutting back the cajun seasoning to 2 TBL?
I did also make a couple of modifications (although not sure that any of them would have impacted the salt): Omitted chicken and used turkey kielbasa and shrimp. Subbed 1 can diced tomatoes and omitted the chicken stock and fresh tomato. I did add half & half to help with the saltiness (and up the creaminess factor!).
Open to any ideas on how to cut the salt
Kielbasa is inherently salty. The cajun seasoning you chose could be very salty too, so I would probably skip the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Canned tomatoes can also have sodium in them, so I would check that. It could’ve just been a few things working together to make it saltier.
This dish was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! As my husband said while enjoying it “this one’s a keeper!” Will be saving this and using again for sure!
Thanks!
You’re welcome, Donna.
Love this recipe, once prepping is done the process moves fast. I may have added a little more broth, so I added some whipping cream and it thickened up the sauce! Will be making again
Glad you enjoyed it, Tina.
Sabrina, thanks so much for the recipe. A huge hit with my wife and kids for sure! I made it pretty close to as written, but used half and half cream instead of the heavy cream.
This is definitely a keeper!!
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you all enjoyed it, Michael.
Excellent! This will be in my rotation for sure! Very flavorful.
Fantastic!
The spice mix is awesome, and made from pantry items I have on hand! I used only shrimp, and we all loved it! Thank you?
Yay!! Thanks so much!
I have done all the chopping and am ready to make this recipe today but my son will not eat tomatoes so I want to omit them. What can I use to substitute. Will a bit of tomatoe sauce do the trick?
I am just seeing this tonight. I am sure the recipe has long been cooked/or not but I still want to try to help.
Tomato sauce would do it, but I’d probably just go with additional red bell peppers for texture.
This recipe was so good! I did modify some things; added corn starch, heavy cream, and reduced Cajun spice to 2 Tbs. my husband LOVED it which was great, because he loves Cajun food. I liked a lot, as well.
Thanks for an awesome recipe!
You’re welcome, Jackalyn.
I just made this last night, it was very delicious. I modified a couple things out of necessity – used a yellow onion instead of red, used a while yellow pepper and half a red because I didn’t have a green one, and I omitted the chicken since I didnt have any.
The sauce coated the pasta nicely and it was decently spicy without being overwhelming. I would highly recommend!
These were pretty vague instructions. Completely ruined my kitchen. If you could be more clear with the step to step process that would be great cause this looks very yummy.
My family loved this! We like our pasta with a lot of sauce, so I only used 1/2 pound of pasta, and I added 1 TBSP of corn starch to thicken the sauce. It was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!!
Super easy! Prepping the protein and veggies is the most time consuming part. My family loved it. It also makes a huge portion!
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!