Jambalaya is one of the most popular dishes in the Creole culinary repertoire. We all know and love it—perfectly cooked white rice tossed with a variety of spicy meats, onions, and tender bell pepper. Even more perfect when served with your favorite hot sauce. I decided to shake things up a bit and make a jambalaya, but with whole wheat corkscrew pasta instead of rice. Tossed in with the al dente pasta are cubes of Cajun-spiced chicken breasts, spicy Andouille sausage, crisp bell peppers, green onions, red onions and garlic, all with a light olive oil sauce. As we say in Louisiana: ‘oooohhh wheeeee! That’s spicy…and oh so good!’
Sautéing the mixture of meats with the cooked vegetables
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Jambalaya Pasta
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Cajun seasoning
- 1 lb. whole wheat corkscrew pasta
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced into half moons
- ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
- Hot sauce, for serving
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. . Season the chicken breasts with a touch of Cajun seasoning, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This will take around 35-40 minutes. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into bite-sized cubes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the whole wheat pasta for 8-10 minutes, or until perfectly al dente. Drain and place the pasta in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the diced red onion, green onions, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the sliced sausage and diced chicken into the pan, and cook, still stirring, for an additional 5 minutes over medium heat. Toss the cooked meat-vegetable mixture in with the cooked pasta, and add the parsley as well. Season the jambalaya with ¼ teaspoon salt and a grinding of fresh pepper, along with a drizzle of oil before tossing for the last time and dividing the mixture among your serving dishes. Serve with hot sauce.
Tagged: Andouille sausage, Cajun, cajun spices, chicken, Creole, fusilli, garlic, green onions, green pepper, jambalaya, jambalaya pasta, Louisiana, pasta, red onion, scallions, whole wheat pasta
Reminds me of Semolina’s – miss that place.
Agreed Leanne! I think even the one on Magazine in New Orleans is closed now. Boo hoo! Remember their macaroni and cheese dish as well??