Cajun Pastalaya Recipes

REAL CAJUN PASTALAYA

Steps:

• In a heavy pot that is NOT nonstick (I use Magnalite) brown sausage.
• After sausage is browned, remove from pot and add onions and bell pepper. Cook on medium-high heat in fat rendered from sausage (add butter or olive oil if needed) until wilted; about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook a few more minutes.
• Add sausage back to pot along with chicken or which ever protein you choose, except if using shrimp).
• Add all remaining ingredients except green onions and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to bottom. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for about 25 minutes, until pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. If using shrimp, add it at this point.
• Remove from heat, stir in green onions. Serve hot. French bread is delicious with it and you can sop up the sauce.

PASTA JAMBALAYA (PASTALAYA)

Steps:

• In a cast iron pot, brown the chicken sprinkled with Creole Seasoning then remove from pot and set aside. Brown pork until most of water has left pot and starting to barely stick to pot and brown really good(about 30-40 minutes). Add sausage to the pork and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes stirring often. Next add all vegetables and dash of hot sauce. Let cook down on medium heat while carefully stirring to prevent sticking. Vegetables will make extra water so don't be alarmed. When vegetables are cooked down and wilted, add water and return chicken to the pot with everything else. Next add the rest of the seasonings and return to a boil over medium high heat. Remember that pasta will absorb the seasonings, so make sure the water tastes just a little more salty and peppery than you would like. After water comes to a boil, break pasta in half and sprinkle into mixture. Be careful pasta does not stick and clump together. When all of the pasta has softened and absorbed most of the water, lower heat to medium low and add green onions. Stir carefully and place lid on pot for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, lift lid and stir pot completely then replace lid. Lower heat to very, very low and cook covered for 15 more minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off. DO NOT REMOVE LID!!! Let it sit for about 30 minutes. After this, lift the lid, stir the pot over, and enjoy your dish.

PASTALAYA

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sausage; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add Trinity to pot and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add chicken and sausage, tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic, and Creole Seasoning to pan. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in cooked pasta and green onion.
• In a medium bowl, combine onion, bell pepper, and celery. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
• In a medium bowl, combine paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, white pepper, thyme, celery seeds, cayenne, and black pepper. Store in an airtight container.

CAJUN PASTALAYA - PASTA JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat fat in a large, covered pot or skillet and add the chicken, and brown well on both sides. Remove and set aside.
• Slice the sausage in half lengthwise, then chop, adding to the skillet and cook until browned.
• Stir in the onion and green pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
• Stir in the diced tomatoes and water; bring up to a boil.
• Meanwhile, cut the chicken breast into cubes and return to the pot, adding in the dry pasta, thyme, basil, parsley, and Cajun seasoning, return to boil; reduce to medium low, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until pasta is tender and most of liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir in the butter and green onion; remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes covered. Taste, add salt and pepper, adjust seasonings as needed and serve with hot French bread to soak up the juices.

CAJUN PASTALAYA

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook for 2 minutes. Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink inside and juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add tomatoes, paprika, Creole seasoning, and cayenne pepper; bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add broth to the pot and return to a simmer. Add penne and simmer for 8 minutes. Add shrimp. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until pasta is tender but firm to the bite and shrimp are cooked through, about 7 minutes more.
• Stir in cream. Stir in thyme, oregano, and basil. Cook until just heated through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Serve topped with green onions and Parmesan cheese.

PASTALAYA

Steps:

• Slice the smoked sausage into thin rounds, then cut any larger pieces in half. Add the sausage and vegetable oil to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the sausage is well browned (about 5 minutes).
• Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to the pot. Sauté for one minute, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the bag of frozen seasoning mix and sauté until heated through (3-5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes (with juices), Creole seasoning, oregano, smoked paprika, thyme, freshly cracked pepper (about 20 cranks of a pepper mill), and pasta to the pot. Finally, add the chicken broth and 1 cup of water, and stir until everything is evenly combined.
• Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the pot come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, stir briefly, replace the lid, turn the heat down to low, and let the pot simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir the pot once every few minutes as it simmers to prevent the pasta from sticking. Replace the lid as quickly as possible to maintain a simmer. If the mixture still seems soupy at around 8 minutes, let the pot simmer without a lid for the last few minutes. A little bit of thick sauce at the bottom of the pot is perfect.
• While the pasta is simmering, chop the parsley and slice the green onions.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the half & half or cream. Stir in most of the chopped parsley and green onions, reserving some to sprinkle over top of each bowl. Serve hot.

CREAMY CAJUN PASTALAYA

Steps:

• 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.

PASTALAYA

Steps:

• Heat a large Dutch Oven (or cast iron pot) on medium high heat, then add the bacon and the onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook until totally soft and the bacon is cooked.
• Add garlic and cook a further 3 minutes.
• Brown pork and smoked sausage and cook about 20-25 minutes until the sausage begins to caramelize somewhat.
• Add chicken pieces, canned Rotel, Creole Seasoning and Thyme and cook for 15-20 minutes more on medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 300°F.
• To the pot add the water, chicken broth, soups and kitchen bouquet and cook for a further 20 minutes.
• Add the pasta, stir well and bring to a rolling boil.
• At that point turn off the heat and press the noodles down into the liquid so all noodles are mostly in the fluid. It will just about cover most.
• Place lid / cover and place in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour remove from the oven and don't open the pot for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes remove the lid and give a good stir from the bottom of the pot. Add the chopped green onions and serve.

CAJUN PASTALAYA RECIPE

Steps:

• In medium deep skillet, cook sliced sausage 3-4 minutes until browned.
• Remove sausage to drain in colander.
• Add diced peppers and onions to skillet with the excess oil, and saute mixture until slightly translucent.
• Add sausage back to pan along with spices. Cook 1-2 minutes longer.
• Add Rotini and prepared tomato broth. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook about 20 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• Garnish with parsley and a bit of Parmesan cheese.

CAJUN PASTALAYA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta liquid.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add shrimp to skillet. Sauté 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp and set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until no longer pink in the middle, stirring once or twice, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet and place with shrimp.
• Add 1 tablespoon butter and Andouille sausage, onion, green pepper, red pepper, and celery. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, until Andouille is browned and vegetables are softened.
• Add garlic, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme and cook 30 seconds. Then add Worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Let simmer 3 minutes.
• Add cream and simmer 3 minutes. Return shrimp and chicken and add cooked pasta plus reserved cooking liquid. Simmer another 2-3 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt to taste.
• To serve, top with green onions.