Cajun pasta has become a new easy favorite pasta dish in my house and its another one of my brother's favorite recipes of mine as well. I love making Cajun and Cajun inspired dishes for dinner and often cook one at least once a week. The best part besides eating it, is that it isn't hard to capture the flavors of Cajun cooking since a lot of the spices needed for a good homemade spice mix are already in your spice cabinet. As a pasta and Cajun food lover, I highly recommend this quick recipe that will satisfy your pasta and Cajun food cravings. I can't get enough of the tender chicken, sauteed bell peppers and onions, fire roasted tomatoes enveloped in luscious cream cheese, and spices with the pasta to soak the sauce up. Can you believe that it can also be done in 30 minutes or less? Once you try making this pasta, it'll become one of your favorite easy pasta dishes for lunch or dinner from now on!
Above: chicken, penne pasta, and bell peppers
These are the main ingredients everyone should have in their pantry for a good homemade Cajun seasoning!
Above: version with chicken and shrimp, cavatappi pasta, and without bell peppers
Above: version with green and red bell peppers and medium pasta shells
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1 cup medium or large shrimp (opt)
-a dash of Cajun seasoning and black pepper
-1/2 cup chopped red or yellow onions
-1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
-1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
-1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
-8 oz. or 2 cups cavatappi, penne pasta, or medium pasta shells
-4 oz. cream cheese cut into small cubes
-2 cups chicken broth
-1 tbs. olive oil
-1 tbs. butter or margarine
-2 tsp. smoked paprika
-1 tsp. Cajun seasoning bran of your choice
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-1 tsp. dried thyme
-1/2 tsp. onion powder
-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or 1/2 tsp. if you want it hotter
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
Steps:
1. Mix all dry seasonings together in a small glass or plastic bowl. Chop the bell peppers and onions, making sure to remove the core and the seeds from the bell peppers. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. 2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter or margarine on medium heat. Add half of the seasoning mixture to the chicken, onions, and bell peppers, and cook stirring occasionally for 7 minutes until the chicken has browned and the vegetables have softened.
3. Add the rest of the seasoning mixture, broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil on high heat. Add the pasta, stir, cover, and cook according to pasta package directions. Make sure to stir at least once or twice during cooking so that the pasta cooks evenly.
4. On a cutting board, cut the cream cheese into cubes. Once the pasta is tender, turn down the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese until it completely blends in and makes a thick sauce consistency.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes then serve. Enjoy!
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