Enjoy this simple and delicious recipe for one of my family’s favorite dinners: Cajun Pasta! This recipe is comfort food at it’s finest, but it’s full of wholesome and nourishing ingredients. It is sure to make growing kids (and husbands) leave the table with a full belly and a smiling face!
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Do you have a recipe that is so good you could serve it for every meal and no one would complain? This Cajun Pasta recipe is that just that for my family.
My kids love it, my husband loves it, and I love it. I often cook for my husband and his crew at work and 9 times out of 10, they request this Creamy Cajun Pasta.
I don’t think I have ever served it to anyone who didn’t absolutely love it. Honestly though, who doesn’t love a good pasta recipe? Not only is this Cajun pasta simple to make, it’s also packed full of nourishing ingredients.
This Cajun Pasta recipe is so versatile and adjustable, depending on how spicy your family likes it or what you are feeling that day. It can be made with shrimp, chicken, sausage, or any combination of the three (for a total of 7 different ways, hence the title). I almost always serve this with a big side salad and some fresh, buttery sourdough garlic bread. You can’t go wrong with a side of steamed broccoli or green beans, either. I’ve also been known to throw some fresh spinach into the sauce and I’ve never had any complaints. I think that may be one of my hidden talents: hiding vegetables in meals.
This Cajun Pasta recipe can easily be made ahead and frozen to bake at a later time. In fact, this is one of my go to make ahead freezer meals for postpartum (myself and friends)! I love to have at least one in the freezer for those times when it’s 6 P.M. and I realize I have no plans for dinner.
In our family, we focus on sourcing high quality, clean ingredients for the meals we cook. We produce a lot of our own food right here on the farm. For example, in this recipe I use milk, cream, and butter from our milk cow and smoked sausage from pigs that were raised here on our farm. We also do our best to purchase organic ingredients from the grocery store, whenever possible.
It is very important for our family to reduce the amount of chemicals and toxins we come into contact with so that our bodies can detox optimally. If your body is overloaded with chemicals and toxins (like the ones found in non-organic produce), it effects so many different functions of the body: immune system, endocrine system, hormones, nervous system, and so many more.
In addition to using organic ingredients, we focus on increasing the nutritional value of our food by choosing ingredients with these labels: grass fed and finished, pasture raised, wild caught, non-GMO, raw dairy, etc. By making these small, but intentional, changes I am able to keep my family happy and well nourished at the same time.
Another way we reduce our toxic load is through our cookware. Did you know that most cookware on the market contains toxic materials, such as Teflon? That’s the material that is usually marketed as “non-stick.” This may seem like a good quality to look for in cookware, but it can wreak havoc on your health. It is primarily absorbed via inhalation during the cooking process, as the toxic material releases chemicals and gases. It can also be ingested when tiny particles of the material break or scratch off of the surface of the pan and into the food you eat.
The negative effects of Teflon include: liver and kidney toxicity, glutathione depletion, endocrine disruption, and reproductive toxicity, among other concerns. You can read a little more about the chemical in this study.
As an alternative to traditional cookware, our family primarily uses cast iron and I can tell you, we will never use anything else! It is affordable, durable, nonstick when cared for properly, easy to clean, and adds a source of iron into our diets every time we eat something that has been cooked in it. Not to mention, it is beautiful hanging on my wall and it makes every meal look even more delicious. When I am making this Cajun Pasta for my family, I will usually just bake it right in the cast iron skillet for easy cleanup and less dishes!
The very first cast iron skillet we purchased was this 10 1/4 inch Lodge cast iron skillet. It has been so versatile for us. It’s the perfect size for cooking breakfast, baking pies, German pancakes and so much more! I reach for this skillet every single day. If you only have one cast iron skillet in your home, it should definitely be this one. We also have this large cast iron skillet, which my husband prefers (even if he’s only cooking a single fried egg).
Anyways, let’s get on to the good part. Drumroll, please! Here is the recipe for the best Cajun Pasta you will ever taste and the last one you’ll ever need! Let me know in the comments how your family likes it or send me a message to let me know what you plan to serve with this Cajun Pasta!
The Best Cajun Pasta Recipe-7 Ways
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp butter
- 5 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups milk
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese you can sub mozzarella if you want it less spicy
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese to top it with
- 14 oz diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
- 1.5-3 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 10-12 servings penne or rotini pasta
- 2 lb total meat (smoked sausage links, shrimp, chicken, or any combo)
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced optional
- fresh parsley, chopped optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- If using sausage, slice into thin slices and brown in a skillet over medium heat. If using shrimp, season shrimp with Cajun seasoning and cook in a skillet over medium heat until pink (do not over cook). If using chicken, season chicken with Cajun seasoning and sear in a skillet over medium high heat until internal temperature reaches 165°.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain
- In a sauce pan, melt butter on medium-low heat
- Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk to form a roux
- Slowly add heavy cream while whisking until it starts to thicken
- While continuing to whish, slowly add the milk and continue whisking while it starts to bubble
- Add Cajun seasoning and whisk
- Add the cream cheese and stir or whisk until it is completely incorporated
- Stir in shredded parmesan and pepperjack (or mozzarella) cheese until melted
- Stir in diced tomatoes and green chiles
- Mix together pasta, sauce, and meat
- Add it all to a large baking dish (if you have something slightly bigger than a 9×13, that will work best)
- Top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly
- Garnish with fresh parsley or green onions and enjoy!