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This cajun Pastalaya recipe is a one-pot, 30-minute twist on classic Jambalaya that swaps rice for pasta. If you're looking for a quick, comforting weeknight dinner the whole family will devour, this easy pasta jambalaya delivers!
Pasta night, Louisiana-Style
Pastalaya is a favorite in our home! We've been making Jambalaya for years, but swapping the rice to noodles is a game changer and all of my kids like this version even more! I use Polska Kielbasa to keep it on the milder side for my kids, but you can absolutely kick up the heat if you like it spicy. The best part? It comes together in just 30 minutes, which means even on the most chaotic weeknights, a hot, homemade dinner is totally doable.
Check out all of my one pot meals, like Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi, Crock Pot Baked Ziti, Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie, One Pan Skillet Lasagna, and Mongolian Noodles.
How to make Pastalaya:
Brown Meat: In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Once hot, brown chicken and sausage, flipping once without cooking the chicken all the way. Remove the meat to a bowl.
Sauté Vegetables: Turn the heat down to medium then add remaining oil and scrape up any remaining browned bits from the meat. Dump in onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and stir and cook for 3 minutes.
Combine and Serve: Add basil, Cajun seasoning, diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper then stir well. Pour in chicken broth, water, and dry pasta then bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the reserved meat then reduce the heat and cover pan with a lid. Let cook for about 11 minutes, only taking off the lid to stir once or twice. Serve pastalaya with a side salad and baguette, or crusty bread. If you love this meal, don't miss my Jambalaya, Instant Pot Jambalaya, and Gumbo recipes!
Pastalaya
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons oil, , vegetable or canola
- 1 lb andouille sausages*, , cut into coins
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, , cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
- 4 green onions, , chopped
- 3 ribs celery, , chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, , finely minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, , optional, for hotter spice, if desired.
- 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup water
- 1 lb penne pasta, , or Banza chickpea penne
Instructions
- Add oil to a large skillet (minimum 12×2’’) or dutch oven over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook, flipping once, to brown on all sides (don't cook chicken through). Remove to a bowl. Add sausage and cook until browned on both sides. Add to the bowl with the chicken.2 Tablespoons oil, 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 lb andouille sausages*
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil to the pan, scraping up any leftover browned bits from the pan. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic then sauté for 3 minutes. Add basil, Cajun seasoning, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper then stir well to combine.1 yellow or white onion, 4 green onions, 3 ribs celery, 1 green bell pepper, 4 cloves garlic, 1 ½ teaspoon dried basil, 1 ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Add chicken broth, water, and dry pasta and bring mixture to a gentle boil. Add reserved meat to the pan. Reduce heat, cover pan with fitted lid, and cook for about 11 minutes. Remove lid to stir once or twice during cooking.2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, ½ cup water, 1 lb penne pasta
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe February 2024. Updated February 2026.
Was a big hit in our house, did the 15 servings and fed 15 with enough for next day! Few things we switched…for the kids we decided to not go spicy route, we used 3xsmaller boxes of spaghetti noodles, did the substitution sausage you suggested, and lastly mixed a stick of butter at the end. Definitely will be in our family dinner rotation. Thank you!!! #DaSaafiTribe
Too spicy for mom which means just right for me!
Very easy to make! Everyone who ate it enjoyed it!
Delicious! Easy and Quick to make. A yummy change.
We had this last night and it was yummy. That veggie combo is the best. I love one-pot meals, especially pasta ones.
This a great meal for a busy weeknight! Very simple to make but very flavorful. We used gluten-free pasta and it turned out well. I definitely make this again!
I found this recipe to be very delicious and simple. I did leave out the cayenne pepper cuz the spice for others in my household. Doing so, I felt it made it just the right heat. The heat wouldn’t linger or be too much to enjoy the many levels of other flavors that’s going on in this recipe. I recommend giving this a try if you’re looking for a delicious Cajun style food that’s able to suit many mouths in the house.
Quick and easy weeknight meal. I used only sausage and my family enjoyed it! I would probably add a little more tomato next time to make the dish a bit saucier, but that’s my preference.