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.
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Notes
Nutrition
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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!
I make this once every three weeks or so. I’m a graduate student, so I can make it and eat it for lunch for multiple days pretty easily. I use hot Italian sausage and it turns out great. Sometimes I reduce the amount of pasta and increase the ratio of vegetables if I want it to be healthy.
I’ve found that the vegetable oil is unnecessary. Just browning the sausage and removing the excess fat is enough. Also, fresh vegetables instead of frozen are a definite improvement.
Delicious! I multiplied it by 5, and could easily feed 50-60 people!
This was easy to make and delicious! I misjudged the amount of liquid and ended up with too much by the time the pasta was cooked, so I scooped out everything but the liquid and thickened that up with a bit of cornstarch and water. Poured it over the pasta and it turned out great – Thanks for the recipe!
What should I do if I ran out of broth and I want to use just water? Should I season I little more strongly?
It still won’t be quite the same, but adding extra seasoning might help. You’ll probably need extra salt as well.
This was realllly good. My boyfriend kept commenting how good dinner was and asked for seconds. I am so glad I found your website. Happy cooking and thanks for GREAT recipes, Beth!
Wow! This is just delicious, and way creamier than I expected. As someone who always seems to have trouble getting the rice to come out right in jambalaya, being able to get the essential experience in a dish with pasta is just great.
Delicious! The celery and green onions keep it nice and fresh tasting, not too heavy delicious flavor! Took probably a total of 15 minutes prep, maybe 20 minutes of cooking, very easy and quick. This would easily feed a family of 3/4.
Sooooo good. I don’t cook a lot and I messed up another recipe on here a little bit. But this one came out great and my measurements were all “good enough”. Will definitely make it again especially because it makes a lot.
When I made the Pastalaya for dinner, my sister and I were coming back for seconds!! Best of all, there was plenty for leftovers!!!
I have low confidence in my measuring abilities, but cooking the pasta in this one-pot dish proved easy! It wasn’t even mushy – still had lots of texture to the pasta. This dish had some heat and a classic mirpoix flavor. This was tasty, and I would say on the more involved end of your recipes.
Delicious, and would definitely make it again!! :-)
I made the mistake of pre-cooking the pasta–while having not re-read through the instructions before starting the recipe–so the pasta is a little bland and watery, but otherwise it’s actually still pretty good.
I’m planning on making this dish for dinner next week. What if I can’t find the seasoning blend in the grocer’s freezer? Is it possible that I can use green bell peppers and onions? Thanks, Beth. :-)
Yes, absolutely. :) You can use a small yellow onion, a small green bell pepper, and a couple stalks of celery. It will taste even better! My grocery store just happened to be out of bell pepper that day, so I had to use a frozen mix. :(
Made this last night, and it was excellent. Like many of the one-pot recipes, I’ll probably reduce the amount of liquid by at least half a cup. I prefer my pasta a bit al-dente and one-pot always comes out far too mushy for my tastes.
I made this for dinner tonight. Officially one of my favorite pasta recipes of all time.