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Invest 5 minutes of prep time, and this one-pot Cajun Pasta cooks itself. Studded with chicken and Andouille sausage and infused with a creamy tomato sauce, this is one of my favorite recipes (and easiest dinner recipes!) for weeknights.
Have you ever had one of those weeks when time refused to pass at a normal rate? When it feels like the world is set to “fast-forward,” I swear by this one-pot Cajun Pasta recipe.
This is a nod to some of my favorite Louisiana recipes, like Chicken Gumbo and Jambalaya. (Yes, the “Holy Trinity” is invited!) But in this 40-minute meal, the pasta, chicken, and sausage all cook together in the Cajun cream sauce. That means you only need one pan and 5 minutes to set yourself (and 3 lucky dinner companions) up for dinner success.
If you’re not a huge fan of spicy fare, fear not. The bold spice in this recipe is tempered by the cream and cheese that you add near the end. The finished flavors that dance through this creamy Cajun sausage pasta recipe is something you’ll want to return to again and again. Just like New Orleans itself!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cajun seasoning: Hot, peppery Cajun seasoning is essential for Cajun-style blackened fish or chicken. It’s a spice blend of cayenne pepper, paprika, dried thyme, onion powder, and garlic powder. If you make your own, you can tailor the spice to exactly the level you want it. Homemade Cajun seasoning is easy—you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry.
- Onion, bell pepper, and celery: You might hear this aromatic trio referred to as the “holy trinity” in Cajun and Louisiana Creole cuisine. Cook this own in a couple tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) to get the party started for this creamy Cajun chicken pasta.
- Penne: Penne has some bite and doesn’t turn sludgy, which is the biggest complaint of failed one-pot pasta recipes.
- Chicken broth: Store-bought or homemade chicken broth both work beautifully in the pasta sauce.
- Heavy cream: Just ½ cup takes this from a Cajun sauce to a creamy Cajun sauce. Half-and-half also works if that’s what you have handy.
Step by step instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion, peppers, and celery and cook until softened. Add Andouille sausage and cook until browned.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring often, until chicken is browned and cooked through.
- Stir in pasta, diced tomatoes and juice, and chicken broth. Increase heat to boil and simmer uncovered until pasta is al dente and almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream and cheddar cheese until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This creamy Cajun pasta recipes makes 4 generous (2-cup) main dish servings, each with 4 ounces of pasta, 4 ounces of chicken, 2 ounces of Andouille, and plenty of creamy, zesty tomato sauce. My family is usually satisfied with just this, but sometimes I add a Fruit Salad or Kale Salad on the side to round out the meal.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Customize your veggies: The recipe calls for red bell peppers, but orange, yellow, or green bell pepper work just fine too. Or toss in a handful of sliced mushrooms or some frozen corn.
- Customize your pasta: This recipe is designed for penne. Instead of cooking it according to package instructions (followed by a drain), you add it right to the pot to cook with the rest of the ingredients. If you opt for smaller shaped pasta, cut back the cooking liquid dramatically to avoid having excess water in the sauce and a mushy, overcooked pasta dish. If you choose spaghetti or linguini, you may want to break your dried pasta in half so it fits in the pan better. Seek out gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Cajun chicken: Tender, juicy Cajun Chicken breasts are great for quick dinners or meal prep. Use store-bought or homemade Cajun seasoning and pair with your favorite starch and vegetable for dinner in 15 minutes or less.
- Cajun chicken Alfredo: One of my most popular restaurant copycat recipes, Cajun Chicken Alfredo gets an extra punch of flavor from broccoli, homemade cajun seasoning, and a creamy homemade Alfredo sauce. All of this can be yours after just 10 minutes of prep time!
- Gumbo: Hearty Chicken Gumbo over rice is the ultimate Mardi Gras dinner. This chicken and sausage stew is so delicious, though, you’ll want to make the easy gumbo recipe all year long.
- Jambalaya: Midwest meets big easy in one big pot. Wisconsin-Style Jambalaya is packed with tender chicken, shrimp, and sausage for a hearty 30-minute meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are very similar but not identical. Creole seasoning tends to be a little sweeter and mild. Cajun seasoning is a little more spicy. One difference is that Creole seasoning has a fair amount of paprika in it where Cajun does not.
Cayenne pepper is the primary heat source for Cajun spices. Cayenne ranks between 30,000 and 50,000 on the Scoville heat unit scale, so it’s a medium-hot chili. There’s normally less cayenne powder in Cajun seasoning than the other ingredients, so the mix isn’t usually extremely spicy. Ghost peppers, on the other hand, register 855,000 Scoville heat units! Cayenne is mild by comparison. If you prefer your pasta to have even more kick, I recommend adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice is good too!
The flavors are delightful and the timing works out great with boneless skinless chicken breasts, however, I’ve also had great success with trading in shrimp. Simply use 1 pound of thawed frozen deveined shrimp (medium, or 21 to 25 per pound) in place of the chicken for a creamy Cajun shrimp pasta.
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Cajun Pasta
Ingredients
For the Cajun seasoning (see note 1):
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pasta:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped (see note 2)
- 1 medium red bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs finely chopped
- 2 links Andouille sausages or Kielbasa, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 8 ounces)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 16 ounces penne pasta or any small pasta (see note 3)
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (see note 4)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese grated, for garnish (optional)
- fresh parsley minced, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- To make the seasoning, in a small bowl, whisk together garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion, peppers, and celery and cook until softened. Add Andouille sausage and cook until browned.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring often, until chicken is browned and cooked through.
- Stir in pasta, diced tomatoes and juice, and chicken broth. Simmer uncovered until pasta is al dente and almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream and cheddar cheese until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cajun seasoning: Hot, peppery Cajun seasoning is essential for Cajun-style blackened fish or chicken. It’s a spice blend of cayenne pepper, paprika, dried thyme, onion powder, and garlic powder. If you make your own, you can tailor the spice to exactly the level you want it. Homemade Cajun seasoning is easy—you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry.
- Onion, bell pepper, and celery: You might hear this aromatic trio referred to as the “holy trinity” in Cajun and Louisiana Creole cuisine. Cook this own in a couple tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) to get the party started for this creamy Cajun chicken pasta.
- Penne: Penne has some bite and doesn’t turn sludgy, which is the biggest complaint of failed one-pot pasta recipes.
- Heavy cream: Just ½ cup takes this from a Cajun sauce to a creamy Cajun sauce. Half-and-half also works if that’s what you have handy.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
We made this today for supper. It came out just a little bit soupy but, it was really good!!! We served it in bowls and used spoons.
I’m so glad it worked out for the most part, even if it was a bit soupy. That can happen sometimes depending on the exact stove temperature, like you probably could have cooked it a little longer to get some liquid to evaporate. The main thing is you enjoyed it and didn’t have to toss it in the trash. I’m relieved! Thank you for the comment, and have a great rest of your week. – Meggan
I was skeptical about one pot – but both my husband and I loved this! The flavor, spices, and penne came out perfect. I knew this was a keeper when my husband went back for seconds! I will say we used skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts – we prefer the flavor but other than that I followed it to a tee! thanks so much and hope you add more one pot recipes.
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you both loved it! I love the ease one pot recipes as well. Take care! – Meggan
Both my husband and I thought it was very good! Will make again.
Hi Joanne, I’m so glad you both loved this pasta! Take care! – Meggan
I loved this recipe. I did change it a touch and cheated. I cooked Conecuh sausage first then the holy trinity. I cheated an used a premade Cajun seasoning I bought in Breaux Bridge, La.
Sounds great Jason, thanks! – Meggan
Hola, a mi particularmente me ha gustado este tipo de platillos, incorporé recientemente a mis comidas pescados y mariscos y ahora me he apuntado para preparar en casa varias recetas de camarones, una vez los pruebas quedas enamorado, son muy fáciles de preparar!
This was so good!
the only drawback to this recipe is that it does not contain the full Trinity of Cajun cooking. As any true Cajun knows, the Trinity consists of bell pepper, onions, and celery. the celery was not included in this recipe.
This is great feedback! We are going to rework with the recipe to include celery. I’ll do some research to make sure we have the right proportions (I don’t know off the top of my head, obviously, if it works the same way as mirepoix). Thanks a lot for your help. I appreciate you. -Meggan
This was my first shot at a one pot pasta meal and I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about how the pasta would taste. I am now a believer and will definitely be making this recipe again. It was deliciously different and so satisfying. Followed the recipe exactly and didn’t miss that extra step of cooking the pasta and having another pot to wash. Thank you Meggan! You have a great website with so many creative dishes and beautiful photography. Sometimes the photos grab me before I even look at the ingredients.
Hi Jane, I’m so glad to hear that!!! I’m actually with you. When the whole one-pot-this-and-that craze started I was also skeptical. I hate gimmicky things (still sulking about foil-packet dinners). But yes! The one-pot thing works, at least some of the time! I appreciate your kind words. Thank you so much. -Meggan
This is such a clever idea for a pasta dish – full of flavour and simple to make! Delicious!