Happy Mardi Gras!! It was an icy cold and grey morning here in New Orleans, so instead of going out and enjoying the parades, I decided to take it easy, stay warm, and cook up a big pot of Pastalaya. What is pastalaya? It’s like jambalaya, but made with pasta instead of rice! You’ll find this easy and filling dish at large gatherings, celebrations, and even along the parade route during Mardi Gras. Pastalaya is one of those super easy crowd-pleasers that doesn’t break the bank. Sounds like Budget Bytes material, ammiright?
Every Pastalaya Recipe is Unique
Just as with jambalaya, every chef has their own version of pastalaya. Mine is super simple with andouille smoked sausage, trinity, a good dose of herbs and spices, and a splash of cream at the end to smooth things out. A lot of people do sausage and chicken, so if you have some leftover rotisserie chicken or some boneless skinless chicken thighs, you can throw them in there as well.
What Kind of Sausage to Use
Andouille is the only choice if you live in Louisiana, but I know that it can be hard to come by everywhere else. So if you can’t get any good andouille at the grocery store, your next best option will be any type of smoked sausage, and spicy if you can find it!
Use Fresh or Frozen Trinity
Trinity, a mixture of onion, bell pepper, and celery, is the base for most Cajun and Creole dishes. My grocery store was out of green peppers today (I guess everyone was cooking jambalaya!), so I had to sub a pre-chopped and frozen “seasoning mix” (aka trinity) instead.
It’s a nice short cut if you don’t feel like chopping everything up, but fresh always tastes better. If you want to go the fresh route, use one yellow onion, one green bell pepper, and about two stalks of celery instead of the bagged seasoning mix I used.
You ready to get this Mardi Gras party started?
Pastalaya
Servings 6 (1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.04)
- 1/2 lb. smoked sausage (preferably Andouille) ($2.50)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 10oz. bag frozen “seasoning mix”* ($1.29)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.59)
- 1/2 Tbsp Creole seasoning** ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp thyme ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
- 1 lb. penne pasta ($1.39)
- 2 Tbsp half and half or cream ($0.11)
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley ($0.45)
- 1/2 bunch green onions ($0.42)
Instructions
- Slice the smoked sausage into thin rounds, then cut any larger pieces in half. Add the sausage and vegetable oil to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the sausage is well browned (about 5 minutes).
- Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to the pot. Sauté for one minute, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the bag of frozen seasoning mix and sauté until heated through (3-5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes (with juices), Creole seasoning, oregano, smoked paprika, thyme, freshly cracked pepper (about 20 cranks of a pepper mill), and pasta to the pot. Finally, add the chicken broth and 1 cup of water, and stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the pot come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, stir briefly, replace the lid, turn the heat down to low, and let the pot simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir the pot once every few minutes as it simmers to prevent the pasta from sticking. Replace the lid as quickly as possible to maintain a simmer. If the mixture still seems soupy at around 8 minutes, let the pot simmer without a lid for the last few minutes. A little bit of thick sauce at the bottom of the pot is perfect.
- While the pasta is simmering, chop the parsley and slice the green onions.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the half & half or cream. Stir in most of the chopped parsley and green onions, reserving some to sprinkle over top of each bowl. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Pastalaya – Step by Step Photos
Start with 1/2 lb. of smoked sausage, Andouille if you can get it. Cut the sausage into rounds, then cut each round in half to make a half-moon. Add the sausage and a tablespoon of your favorite cooking oil to a large pot. Sauté the sausage over medium heat until it is nice and brown.
Normally jambalaya has a mix of diced onion, bell pepper, and celery, which is called trinity. While fresh always tastes better, you can usually find a frozen mix of these same vegetables. Since the grocery store was out of fresh bell pepper that day, I went with the frozen mix (10oz. bag). To make it fresh, use one onion, one bell pepper, and about 2-3 ribs of celery.
Just before adding the trinity, mince two cloves of garlic and add them to the pot. Let them sauté for one minute, then add the trinity. Sauté the trinity just until softened (the frozen trinity softens immediately upon thawing, fresh will take 5-7 minutes).
Add one 15oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 lb. penne pasta, 1/2 Tbsp creole seasoning, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp thyme, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Finally, add 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup water, and stir until everything is well combined. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, lift the lid briefly to stir, replace the lid, turn the heat down to low, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking, but replace the lid quickly to prevent heat loss. It needs to simmer the whole time for the pasta to cook.
If you notice that it’s still quite soupy at around the 8-minute mark, you can let it simmer the last couple of minutes without the lid. A little thick saucy liquid at the bottom of the pot is okay.
Stir in 2 Tbsp half-and-half or cream.
While the pasta is simmering, pull the leaves off half a bunch of parsley and give them a good chop. Slice half a bunch of green onions as well. Stir most of the parsley and green onions into the pasta, saving a little to sprinkle over top of each bowl.
And there you have it. Pastalaya, a delicious Louisiana-style one-pot pasta! NOM.
Happy Mardi Gras!
Smells good so far! May have added too much oregano and thyme because it almost smells like pizza. lol I added leftover shredded chicken from when I made your Southwest chicken skillet this week too… :) P.S. I’m from Louisiana too and appreciate that you shop at Rouses since it’s my new favorite store.
I’m a first time visitor and think this recipe looks great! I also LOVE that you include step by step instructions. I read the “frozen seasoning mix” on the ingredients list and thought, “What the heck is that?! Like…frozen taco seasoning?!” Ha…and then, lo and behold, there was a photo!! I’ll be back for more for sure!
Thank you, this looks good and it’s a bit damp & foggy here too. Don’t have Creole seasoning but here’s the ingredient list from a spice merchant I often use: paprika, salt, celery, sugar, garlic, black pepper, onion, oregano, red pepper, caraway, dill, turmeric, cumin, bay, mace, cardamom, basil, marjoram, rosemary and thyme.
I could make my own, using just the spices, not the veggies or sugar/salt. Don’t have mace or caraway. What do you think Beth?
Yep, I think it would still be great without the mace and caraway. :)
Thanks Beth, I always enjoy mixing up the spices myself. On the menu for tonight!
I made this for dinner tonight with a slight modification to accommodate our toddler who won’t eat spicy things. I used smoked turkey sausage and cut the Creole seasoning waay back – it ended up pleasantly warm but not spicy. Great recipe!
This looks divine! I am always looking for different pasta recipes and ones with a protein that isn’t super expensive. This one is perfect. Thanks for sharing. Pinned :)
Hi Beth,
I love your site! I’m sorta new at cooking, so can I ask a few questions.
What do you mean by “freeze”? Like put it in the freezer? Could you also refrigerate it?
What does adding half and half do?
Thanks!
Yes, freeze means to store it frozen in the freezer. The half and half just makes the sauce slightly creamy, but not overly so. I find that it helps balance the spiciness a bit.
This looks incredible! I plan to make it this week. Do you think I could use some cream cheese or milk instead of half & half?
I wouldn’t use milk, but a little cream cheese might be alright. It’s actually pretty good without the cream, too. Because I only added a touch of cream, it’s not a huge difference if you just skip it all together.
If you want to add chicken thighs should the chicken be precooked or cooked with the sausage?
I would cut the chicken thighs into small pieces (about one inch) and brown them up with the sausage.
I looked up andouille on wikipedia – the french version looks nasty. Any ideas for substitutes? The pictures look exactly like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakowska – i am not a sausage expert though ;)
You can actually use any smoked sausage for this. Andouille is just the most popular kind down here in Louisiana. :)
Do you ever have any trouble with cooking tomatoes in cast iron? Some say it’s ok while others advise against it. What is your experience?
I haven’t had a problem with it. I guess people have issues with the acidity dissolving the iron, but that will just increase the iron content of your food. Maybe if it dissolves too much you might have a metallic taste. This recipe doesn’t have a lot of tomatoes, though, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
What is the difference between smoked paprika and just regular paprika? I saw you used the smoked paprika in the zuppa toscana soup recipe too.
Yes, they are quite different. Smoked paprika, which is my favorite, has a wonderfully smoky flavor, whereas normal paprika is just a little earthy and sweet. Smoked paprika is almost like adding a little liquid smoke to your recipe. :)
What is all in the “seasoning blend”? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it where I live.
It’s just a mix of frozen diced onion, celery, and bell pepper. There are instructions above on how to substitute with fresh if you don’t have the frozen available in your area. :)
Oh shoot, lol I missed that! Thank you, this looks awesome!! =)
Would this freeze well?
Yes, it should freeze very well.
Awesome! I think I’ll make this over the weekend :)
This was fantastic! I had to make it without the cream, but I didn’t miss it.
Grocery shopping is done tomorrow, and I will make sure I have all the items needed to make this. Can’t wait!
Looks great Beth! I think I’ll give it a try with some smoked tofu!