This Creamy One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta recipe is packed with flavor, super simple, and on the table in 30 minutes. It’s a great, quick, and easy weeknight meal!
This Creamy One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta is a stellar weeknight dinner that is slam-packed with Louisiana flavors. It is super easy, too. So easy, in fact, that this entire jambalaya pasta recipe cooks in one pan – including the pasta. With just a little prep, you’ll have this meal on the table in about 30 minutes. But it’s so flavorful and delicious, your family will think you’ve been cooking all day.
This is a cajun jambalaya pasta the whole family will love, and you can control the level of heat by adjusting the amount of creole and cajun seasonings you add to the dish. It has all the flavor of jambalaya – smoky sausage, peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and just a touch of heat – in a delicious creamy pasta dish. I seriously can’t get enough of this stuff. It’s the kind of dish that I have to take a bite of every time I walk by it as it sits on the stovetop.
What ingredients do I need for jambalaya pasta?
I don’t think there is one set list of ingredients for jambalaya pasta. Most likely, every recipe you run across will have its own take on how it should be prepared and its own twist on the list of ingredients. However, I believe most jambalaya pasta recipes feature pasta of some sort, a yummy sauce, a blend of seasonings and spices, some vegetables like peppers and onion, and meat, most commonly chicken and/or a smoked sausage, like an andouille sausage or a cajun smoked sausage. I have also seen a lot of recipes like this feature shrimp as well. The pasta most commonly featured in this dish is spaghetti, but I’ve also seen penne and fettuccine.
What really sets this pasta apart from other pasta dishes is the blend of seasonings. I like to use Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. I’ve seen others make their own cajun spice blend from a mix of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. As you can see in the photos, I like to add a little garnish of parsley to the top. However you choose to make your jambalaya pasta, there is one thing I’m sure of… it will be delicious! Bon appétit!
Is Jambalaya Pasta the same as Pastalaya?
Yes! I love the term “pastalaya.” How fun is that to say?! Basically, pastalaya is just a way to combine the two words – jambalaya and pasta. Traditionally, jambalaya features rice and not pasta. So, when you substitute pasta for rice, as I did in this recipe, it’s important to add the word “pasta” to make sure everyone knows it is a pasta dish. And, how fun to just combine those words. You try saying it – Pastalaya! Fun, right?!
What brand sausage should you use in Jambalaya Pasta?
Being a good Alabama boy, I tend to lean towards Conecuh brand sausage. They make a cajun version that is delicious. But I really love the Kiolbassa brand as well! Any brand of sausage will do. I just highly recommend making sure you choose a smoked sausage so that you get to truly enjoy the rich flavors this recipe is meant to feature.
Recipe Card
Creamy One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
- 1 12-ounce package smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 8-ounces spaghetti
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with the Creole seasoning. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage has browned and the chicken is no longer pink on the outside. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a bowl – leaving the grease in the pan. Set aside.
- Add the onions and peppers and cook until soft – 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and canned tomatoes with the juice. Stir to combine. Break the pasta in half and add into the pan, pressing it into the liquid. Add the chicken and sausage back to the pan on top of the pasta. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Uncover, stir, and replace the lid. Cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the heavy cream. Pour it into the pasta and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Add additional Creole seasoning to taste. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Shauna C.
This was a very delicious recipe! I substituted the chicken for shrimp and it worked- my family really enjoyed it!
That’s great to hear, Shauna!
Stacy
Stacey: What a stupendous dish! I’ve never had pasta with spaghetti strings, but after today, this will be in heavy rotation. It was a crowd pleaser with my family and the seasoning was just right. Thanks for sharing your recipes and your gift!
I’m so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed the dish!
Barbara Nye
Tastes great and easy to prepare
So glad to hear it!
Craig Bradley
This is delicious. We added some garden fresh sautéed zucchini and yellow squash in olive oil with a little additional creole spice, made it a superb one dish meal.
Sounds delish! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
Melody
It was wonderful. My entire family loved it. I don’t care for spicy things and my mouth burned for 1 hr but it was absolutely great
Sorry to hear it was spicy. You can always reduce the heat next time. Glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Gary Simeral
How can it be Creole Jambalaya without the “Holy Trinity” ? There is no celery in this recipe.
It’s not creole jambalaya. It’s jambalaya pasta that has creole seasoning in it. With that being said, you can certainly add celery, if you wish.
Janet
Can’t wait. Making this for the first time tonight! Can’t help but think there will be no leftovers at my house! Will post results asap!
Excited to hear how it turns out!
Judy Copeland
Great 👍
Thanks, Judy!
Wanda
Me and my family loved this recipe, the leftovers were also great! My grandson is 11 months old, he loved the pasta!
So happy to hear y’all enjoyed it, Wanda!
Meg
This is my son’s absolute favorite dinner. The first time I made it, my husband told me that it brought him joy and my daughter’s friend said it reminded him of his childhood. The best compliments I’ve ever gotten so I had to share this feedback. This is an absolute delicious meal!
Thank you, Meg!! This put a smile on my face this morning! Love comments like these!
Sandy
this is so delicious. I make it all the time sometimes its hard to find a recipe that lives up to your expectations ,this one does that and more. wish I could give it more stars. Well done Stacy well done.
Thank you so much, Sandy!!
Alva T.
I made this at work for colleagues. It was a hit.
Love hearing that!
Pamela Holmes
Since I love all of your recipes, the Crock-Pot beef tips is my favorite, I’ll be making this for my hubby for Sunday dinner. Thank you and keep the good stuff coming. May God continue to bless you.
Thanks, Pamela! Sure hope y’all enjoyed it!
Kali
My picky eater husband even liked this! Easy to make and very tasty! Thank you!
I’m glad to hear he enjoyed it!
Theresa
This was absolutely out of this world! ***** 5 stars – And, so easy to make too! Know that I am a seasoned cook of 45 years so I’ve made a lot of jambalaya – This one is a keeper. Thank you Stacey!
Wonderful! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this!
Amos Jones
That creamed corn cornbread is on my bake to-do-list! Gonna make that creamy one pot jambalaya too! We’ll let you know how it came out! Will do both to compliment each other instead of plain dinner rolls. Thanks for these!
Thanks, Amos! Hope you’ll enjoy both!
Heidi
whole family loved. Delicious Definitely a keeper. Only change I’d make, is next time I’ll use ziti not spaghetti
Glad you liked it!
Judy Chastain
My Louisiana “cajun” niece calls this “pastalaya”. In these time of low store inventory and/or bare shelves, I’ve noticed spices are not plentiful in number or variety. I do have LeMoine’s “Season-Um-Up” Cajun Seasoning, but I’m pretty sure it came from Louisiana… Maybe they could be found online.
Great tip! Thanks, Judy!
Sandy
Can I cook pasta seperately and if so do I need to adjust liquid?
You can. I’ve not done that so I can’t say for sure. I’d reduce the broth by a cup, I’d guess.
Kathie
Made this dish for lunch today. Got a kiss and a “You did awesome!” from my husband! Sorry, Stacey, but I took all the credit! It was really delicious – didn’t need any additional seasoning and came together very easily.
Only question I have is that the chicken was a little tough. I did cut it in small pieces and followed the recipe as closely as possible. Anyway to avoid that?
Thanks!
Ha! You deserve all the credit! So glad y’all enjoyed it! When it comes to the chicken, it might have been a touch overcooked. You could cut the pieces a little larger or cut back a little on the cook time to make sure it doesn’t get tough again.
LYNNE SPROULE
Loved how easy it was to make. I used what I had on hand (hot sausage and egg noodles). Will keep this for repeats.
So glad you enjoyed it!!
WinnieMom
This looks amazing. Can’t eat Bell Peppers so will substitute poblanos. Will incorporate some shrimp and mushrooms too. Can’t wait to try this. Leftovers should be even better.
That sounds amazing!!
Jodie
I don’t cook at all but I followed your recipe to T!! Delicious!! And it wasn’t too spicy for me either. Actually, I did add a few more shakes of the creole seasoning so it was perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and making supper easy for someone like me! I really enjoyed this meal. I rarely whip up something in the kitchen but your creamy one pot creamy jambalaya pasta makes me think there’s hope for me at least. And to keep on trying my hand at cooking, Again, thank you! My roommates said the apartment smelled amazing.
You got this! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
Beth
my neighbor made this last nite & brought us a bowl! Oh my ! delish.
granted she added shroms’ & shrimp – slice of butter bread, all is well with the world!
I wish I had neighbors like that! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Becky Massey
I urge anybody that reads this review to stop what you are doing and make this recipe
It is absolutely divine
I didn’t change a thing and I used Conecuh brand sausage it’s the best
Thanks for another great recipe Stacey
I tell all my friends here in South Georgia about your website!!!! Love everything
Thank you, Becky! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! I certainly appreciate you sharing the site with others!
Janice Budge
Absolutely delicious!
I’v always made jambalaya with rice – first time with pasta. I used bucatini and it was wonderful. I will keep this recipe!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Alexis
I’ve been making this for months and it’s fantastic! A new family favorite and staple. I follow the recipe exactly except I use mini penne instead of a long tube pasta and half and half instead of heavy cream. Toward the end of step 3, I also add shrimp I had sautéed separately.
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed this one, Alexis! Love the shrimp addition!
Lynne Blalock
Delicious. I couldn’t find the creole seasoning you suggested but had all the ingredients to make my own. Love love love this dish!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Rebecca
Delicious did not use the cream, but still delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Bruce Woodson
What brand of sausage do you use???
Hey Bruce! Being a good Alabama boy, I tend to lean towards Conecuh but really love the Kiolbassa brand as well!
Anonymous
I’m not usually a fan of pasta, but this recipe looked so good I did bookmark it. After months and months I finally decided to actually make it. I’m so glad I did! I kept everything the same except I used angel hair pasta and a little extra chicken. It was soooo good. I’ve recommended it to everyone and I’ll be making it again and again.
Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
So glad that you tried it and enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know!
Leigh
I’m making this for dinner tonight and was hoping to use up some chicken I have from a rotisserie. Any suggestions on how to incorporate that since it’s already cooked? Looking forward to dinner. Thank you!
Great! If you’re going to do the sausage, brown it as usual then proceed with the recipe. When you add the sausage back, simply add the shredded rotisserie chicken to the pan then. Hope it turns out great for you!
Denise
This recipe is a WINNER! It is perfectly delectable. The recipe’s proportions were perfect. I did, however, substitute shrimp for the sausage. I am not morally opposed to sausage, I just prefer shrimp. ???? Also, I used a soft very fresh pasta which decreased the cook time. Delicious and light. Thank you!
So glad it turned out great for you, Denise!!
nana
I was alittle hesitant about the cajun part thinking it would be too spicy, but found it was DELICIOUS. Smelled wonderful cooking which made everyone come look to see what was on the stove. On the second helping, ahem, I did add a few more shakes of the cajun seasoning for more punch. This one is a keeper! Thanks.
So glad that y’all enjoyed it, Nana!!
Courtney
Is this spicy?
It just depends on how much Creole seasoning you use.
Maria C Poroy
Now I know why I impulsively bought a package of andouille last week
Yes! It was divine intervention! 🙂
Phyllis
Hey Stacey, can you advise what’s in the creole seasoning? We can’t get your specific brand here. Thanks much. The dish looks and sounds wonderful.
Dee Ann Trosclair
Looks delicious a dish my Cajun husband would love. Would this dish freeze well?
I’ve not tried it. I’m afraid of how the sauce would reheat.
Barbara Gardiner
I would freeze it in those aluminum pans, with cardboard cover and just slowly heat in the oven like you do chicken spaghetti. I use Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning that I get in the spices at Walmart. ( this is Wonderful to sprinkle on French fries too)
Thanks, Barbara!
This brand is my favorite, but another might work. Are you able to find another brand locally? This is showing up as a copy cat recipe for this brand, but I’ve not tried it: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/tony-chacheres-creole-seasoning-copycat-500434