My littlest chickadee eats pasta almost everyday. We have a pasta restaurant in town that she loves to go to after gymnastics, and my favorite dish on the menu is a spicy cajun pasta. They serve it with chicken, but when I made it at home I used smoked sausage. Truth be told, it would be great either way or with a combination of the two. Shrimp would also be a delicious addition. However, since my husband is such a big fan of smoked sausage, I decided to go with it. We spice it up with so much cayenne, it will make your eyes water. However, if you don’t want it that spicy, just dial back on the cayenne pepper or leave it out entirely. And although we use red onion, green and red bell peppers, and tomatoes, you could easily substitute any veggies your family likes. Cajun Smoked Sausage Pasta has found a place in our regular dinner rotation.
Start by dicing a package of smoked sausage and frying in in a skillet over medium heat. When done, remove to a plate covered with a paper towel.
Add the EVOO to the skillet and sauté the veggies for 3-4 minutes. Remove them to the same plate as the sausage. I use a big pan like my LeCreuset braiser for this step because when we add the pasta later, we want it to fit.
While veggies are sautéing, get the pasta boiling. When it’s al dente, drain it in a colander.
Deglaze the pan with two cups of chicken broth. Whisk it well to incorporate all the crunches from the bottom of the pan. That’s the most flavorful part!
Allow the chicken broth to boil in skillet for about 5 minutes. Add cream and spices and whisk together well.
When sauce begins to thicken, add pasta back to sauce and stir to coat. Toss in sausage and veggies and mix together well.
Serve with plenty of bread!If you enjoyed our Cajun Smoked Sausage Pasta, you might want to take a look at our Cheesy Smoked Sausage Dip and our Crawfish Stew. As always, you can check out all of our recipes in our Recipe Index.
[yumprint-recipe id=’10’]
Speak Your Mind