This Cajun Pasta is an easy one-pot meal that is ready in less than 30 minutes. Made with andouille sausage, peppers, onions, pasta, and creamy, slightly spicy sauce, this meal to win your family’s taste buds over!
My secret to easy, weeknight meals is taking ingredients that are jam-packed full of flavor and using those key ingredients to bring huge flavor to quick recipes, and that is exactly what I did for this Easy Cajun Pasta Recipe.
The flavor in this recipe comes from the smoked andouille sausage and Cajun seasoning. Both are filled with paprika, garlic, onion, and a bit of cayenne pepper for rich, bold flavors that lend the perfect kick to this easy meal.
The combination of perfectly tender pasta that has been enveloped in a spicy, creamy Cajun sauce paired with the bite of spicy sausage is pure magic.
And really, what is better than dumping a few ingredients into a pot and less than 30 minutes later, you are sitting down to a wholesome family meal? Not much in my book!
Key Ingredients
- Sausage: I use smoked andouille sausage to pack a ton of flavor into this pasta recipe. I prefer lean chicken sausage, such as al fresco brand, but feel free to use any type of Cajun flavored sausage you like.
- Cajun Seasoning: Homemade is the way to go for flavor and to control the sodium content.
- Pasta: You want to select a noodle that sauce can easily adhere to, such as rotini, rigatoni, or elbow noodles. I do not recommend gluten-free noodles for this one-pot meal.
- Cream Cheese: The cream cheese helps to balance out the spice in this dish. Feel free to omit if you need a dairy-free meal.
- Peppers and Onions
How to Make One Pot Cajun Pasta
- Over medium-high heat, saute peppers and onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for just a minute longer.
- Add in stock, tomatoes, and seasoning and bring to a boil.
- Once the liquid is boiling, add in the pasta, and reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and add in cream cheese and stir into pasta. and cook until cream cheese has melted and pasta has finished cooking for about 5 minutes.
More Comforting Pasta Recipes
- Healthy Pasta Primavera
- Salsa Verde Spaghetti
- Easy 5 Ingredient Baked Rotini
- Tuscan Pasta with White Beans and Tomatoes
- Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
One Pot Cajun Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces smoked andouille chicken sausage sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 10 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 10 ounces rotini pasta
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, saute peppers and onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in sausage and garlic and saute 1-2 minutes.
- Add in stock, tomatoes, and seasoning and bring to a boil.
- Add in pasta, reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and add in cream cheese and stir into pasta. Cook until cream cheese has melted and pasta has finished cooking, about 5 minutes.
Notes
- Sauteing the onions and peppers in olive oil is a quick way to impart a lot of flavor into this cajun pasta dish, but if you want to speed up the process of this dish, just omit this step. You can add the peppers and onions directly to dish when you add the broth, or you can omit them all together--which if you have kids who want to pick around onions, you may just want to leave them out!
- I use chicken stock in this dish, but vegetable broth or beef stock works as well.
- If you don't have Cajun Seasoning, use 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and pepper
- I use rotini noodles for this Cajun pasta, but elbow noodles will or cavatelli works as well.
- If you have a dairy allergy, omit the cream cheese to make this Dairy-Free Cajun Pasta.
- If you want to make Gluten-Free Cajun Pasta, use Barilla Gluten Free Elbow Noodles.
- I used yellow and red mini peppers in this dish to equal about 1/3 cup chopped peppers--use any color peppers you like (big or small.)
Nutrition
I was looking for a quick recipe to use up some andouille sausage in the fridge, and when I saw one pot, I knew it was perfect for our busy night.
I used the seasoning mix from your notes in the post because my Cajun seasoning is too spicy for my kids when paired with the spicy sausage. This was a great, easy, yummy dinner for a busy weeknight. I will definitely make it again and check out the rest of your blog! 🙂
YAY! I am so happy you found this recipe and enjoyed Laura! The seasoning mix is great for my kids too 😉
Absolutely delicious. Definitely going into regular rotation. So easy, and my new go-to comfort food. Now I have to admit that i altered it a bit. We have a big appetite, so when I doubled it, I added 2 Tbsp tomato paste to the veg and sauteed it out a bit, a Tbsp of crushed red pepper with the spices, and a lb of shrimp after the cream cheese. Topped it with green onion and a spray of lime juice. Heavenly. Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed Gina! And I LOVE when people can alter recipes to suit their tastes! Thanks for sharing those alterations 🙂
It’s the best weeknight meal ever. So easy to make and everyone loves it. I cannot recommend enough
Thank so much Amanda! Nothing makes me happier than to hear your family enjoyed this!
Wow Kristen, this looks like a wonderful easy dinner. I love one pot meals!
I agree Diana, one pot meals are the absolute BEST
I love how easy this is to make
Easy during the Holiday Season is a MUST!
The pasta looks super delicious!
Thanks so much!
Swoon. It’s hard to believe how simple this is- it looks almost too good to be true! Definitely need to try!
It is NOT too good to be true Karly–this is so easy and so flavorful. Enjoy!
This pasta was so so good! I replaced the cream cheese with full fat coconut milk and it worked out perfectly! I definitely recommend this as a dairy free alternative instead of leaving out the cream. Thank you Kristen!
Thank you for sharing your modifications Tiffany! That will help anyone who is dairy free 🙂 PS–So glad you enjoyed!
Oooooh yum!
Thanks Erin!
Love an easy dinner like this! Perfect on a busy weeknight!