There's nothing more comforting than a creamy pasta dish loaded with your favorite cheeses and veggies. Another wonderful thing about a pasta dish is that it's extremely hard to mess up! You can incorporate whatever veggies, cheeses and protein your heart desires. This Jambalaya Pasta incorporates plump, tender shrimp, green and orange bell pepper, sweet onion and fire roasted tomatoes for a fun play on an iconic New Orleans dish.
Jambalaya is traditionally cooked as a sort of stew with tomatoes, the "holy trinity" of onion, bell pepper and celery, and any combination of shrimp, chicken or sausage and rice. For this recipe, we've taken a classic and transformed it into a creamy pasta dish with lots of Cajun spices.
We've also lightened this dish up a bit by using unsweetened almond milk and Greek yogurt as the base for the sauce instead of heavy cream. The result is creamy and delicious and gives any traditional cream sauce a serious run for its money - just ask my husband!
Making Jambalaya Pasta
Season your shrimp with salt, pepper, garlic powder and red pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat two tablespoons of butter or olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Note: I prefer to cut my onion and bell pepper into short strips for this recipe but you may chop if prefer. Season veggies with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme and red pepper. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
Next, add almond milk to the pan with veggies and stir to break up any charred bits stuck to the bottom. Cook until boiling then reduce heat to medium and stir in Greek yogurt. Use a whisk to fully incorporate the yogurt. Some tiny clumps will remain - that is totally fine. Add corn starch slurry to pan and stir to incorporate.
Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing sauce to thicken, then add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink and opaque, about 5-7 minutes. Continue to stir while shrimp are cooking. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. You may also add more red pepper at this point if you'd like more spice.
Add cooked pasta and tomatoes to the pan with your sauce and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Remove pan from heat and add cheeses and stir until cheeses are melted. Serve warm and garnish with shaved Parmesan and parsley if desired!
What to Serve with Jambalaya Pasta
This Jambalaya Pasta is delicious served all on its own! You can also serve this pasta with garlic bread or a fresh side salad.
Why Almond Milk and Greek Yogurt for the Sauce?
At the start of the pandemic, my husband and I decided to take our health more seriously and that includes making healthier food choices. I've gotten very creative in finding ways to enjoy lightened up versions of our favorite foods without sacrificing any of the delicious flavor - which is exactly what we are doing with this pasta sauce.
Trust me, we still treat ourselves and enjoy indulgent meals and desserts in moderation. When I created this pasta recipe, the sauce was too creamy and delicious to not share the lightened up version with you guys! No one will know the difference unless you point it out to them!
You can always use heavy cream instead of the almond milk and Greek yogurt for the full-fat version of the sauce if you prefer. No need for the corn starch slurry in the full-fat version!
What Additional Proteins Can I Incorporate in Jambalaya Pasta?
As I mentioned, traditional Jambalaya is typically served with any combination of chicken, shrimp or sausage and you may certainly use any of these in this Jambalaya Pasta dish.
You can also get a bit more creative and incorporate steak or tofu as your protein. Another option is to forgo the protein altogether and let the veggies be the star of the dish.
Storing Jambalaya Pasta
You can store leftover Jambalaya Pasta in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
You Will Also Love this Spicy Shrimp Creole Recipe!
Jambalaya Pasta
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs large shrimp peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or butter
- 1 yellow onion cut into short strips
- 1 green bell peppers seeded and cut into short strips
- 1 orange bell pepper seeded and cut into short strips
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper depending on spice preference
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup cornstarch slurry 2 tablespoons each of corn starch and water combined into a thin paste
- 1 lb linguine cooked to al dente following package instructions
- 1 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- Freshly grated Parmesan and fresh chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Season your shrimp with salt, pepper, garlic powder and red pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat two tablespoons of butter or olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Season veggies with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme and red pepper. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Next, add almond milk to the pan with veggies and stir to break up any charred bits stuck to the bottom. Cook until boiling then reduce heat to medium and stir in Greek yogurt. Use a whisk to fully incorporate the yogurt. Some tiny clumps will remain - that is totally fine. Add corn starch slurry to pan and stir to incorporate.
- Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing sauce to thicken, then add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink and opaque, about 5-7 minutes. Continue to stir while shrimp are cooking. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. You may also add more red pepper at this point if you'd like more spice.
- Add cooked pasta and tomatoes to the pan with your sauce and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Remove pan from heat and add cheeses and stir until cheeses are melted. Serve warm and garnish with shaved Parmesan and parsley if desired!
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