One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta Recipe

Jambalaya pasta in one pot featuring Andouille sausage, chicken, shrimp, tons of veggies, and orzo pasta. It’s drool-worthy!

A one-pot pasta dish with Louisiana influence? Oh yes. This jambalaya pasta recipe combines the classic ingredients and spicy flavors reminiscent of the deep south but cooked with pasta instead of rice. This means you’re making fusion cuisine! Pasta with a blend of spices that create a Creole seasoning, diced tomatoes that form a thick tomato sauce, shrimp, chicken, Andouille sausage, green peppers, onion, and garlic… It’s drool-worthy.

This twist on a traditional jambalaya dish is perfect for when you start to lose inspiration for weeknight dinners and crave something hearty, filling, flavorsome, and simple.

This jambalaya pasta recipe makes four generous servings and is highly satiating, with a variety of protein from the Andouille sausage, chicken, and shrimp, plus fiber from the veggies and orzo pasta. If you’re cooking for one, the extra portions freeze beautifully, and the flavor tastes even better when reheated. This makes it an ideal weekday meal prep recipe too.

The beauty of jambalaya is that it’s one of the best dishes (in my opinion) to make when your produce drawer is requesting a clean-out. In Cajun cooking, when making jambalaya, it’s typical to use what’s called “the trinity”—a mixture of celery, green peppers, and onion. I’ve added those ingredients to this recipe, plus mushrooms for extra texture and nutrients. You could add any other vegetable you want, including frozen mixed vegetables, carrots, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, and yellow and/or red bell peppers.

Two Ways To Make This One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta

You can make this jambalaya pasta on the stovetop in a dutch oven or a large pot or in the slow cooker. Both methods yield a mouthwatering result and the same amount of prep and cleanup.

Cooking on the stovetop requires you to be in the kitchen for about 45 minutes, but you do get to enjoy the meal within an hour. Using the slow cooker is more of a dump-and-forget method. You don’t need to labor away in the kitchen the entire time, but you do need to plan ahead due to the long hours of cooking.

In a nutshell, the choice comes down to what’s most convenient or doable for you and how much time you have.

Option 1: Slow Cooker Jambalaya Pasta  – 15 Minutes of Prep, 3 Steps, 7 Hours 15 Minutes Total Time

Prep the chicken, sausage, and veggies, throw everything into a slow cooker along with the seasonings, set a timer, and forget about it for about seven hours. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in shrimp and pasta. 

I love this option for winter nights because you get the added bonus of having cozy, delicious aromas floating around the house and tantalizing you all day until the piping-hot dish is finally ready.

Option 2: Stovetop Jambalaya Pasta – 15 Minutes of Prep, 7 Steps, 45 Minutes Total Time

Prep all protein, veggies, and mix the seasonings in a small bowl. This will help you work quickly during cooking. 

With this cooking method, you don’t get to throw everything in the pot all at once. You are going to cook the proteins one after another to make sure nothing gets overcooked. 

In a dutch oven or a large saucepan over medium-high heat, start by cooking the sausage. Add bell peppers, onion, celery, and garlic prior to stirring in the chicken. Once the chicken is in the saucepan, cook just until it’s no longer pink. From there, add mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth/chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then stir in shrimp and orzo to cook until they are cooked through. 

You see, the stovetop method does require some babysitting, but you can have your hearty meal ready in 45 minutes. 

Which Type of Pasta Is Best to Use for This One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta?

This jambalaya pasta recipe uses orzo, which is a short pasta, similar in shape and size to large grains of rice but with an incredible texture—tender and chewy. It’s perfect for soups and salads. 

If you don’t have orzo on hand, you could also use macaroni, orecchiette, cavatelli, penne, or mini-shell pasta. Basically, any small pasta will work.

What to Serve with Jambalaya Pasta

This jambalaya pasta is a balanced, filling dish (with proteins, veggies, and carbohydrates) so you might find it perfect on its own,  but a little slice of buttered cornbread (or sourdough) on the side is never a bad idea. You could also serve this with a simple tossed spinach salad with a balsamic or onion vinaigrette.

Some people will also garnish jambalaya with cilantro and make a creme fraiche with heavy cream to drizzle over the top. Personally, I haven’t tried this on jambalaya pasta, but it’s complementary to the Cajun spices in traditional jambalaya and rice. With this jambalaya pasta capturing the same flavor, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a great addition.

Can You Make This Jambalaya Pasta with Rice Instead?

If your mood is leaning towards traditional jambalaya with rice, keep in mind that the cook time will vary for different types of rice versus pasta. Let’s use long-grain rice as an example.

• For the slow cooker, 40 minutes before serving, add uncooked rice and cook on high until the rice is tender. 
• For the stove, after bringing your pot of jambalaya goodies to a boil, add rice, bring it back to a boil for a minute, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

If you’d like to use brown rice, note that it will require a bit more liquid and an even longer cooking time.

Psst…

If you’re a fan of Cajun cooking, omit the tomatoes from this recipe and use a Cajun seasoning instead of Creole to create a Cajun jambalaya pasta!  You might like some other Cajun recipes, including Vegetarian Dirty Rice and Cajun Seafood Pasta.

More of a pasta person? Here are a few of my favorite weeknight pasta dishes.

One-Pot Pasta E Fagioli

Shrimp and Scallop Scampi

Creamy Mushroom Pasta (Vegetarian)

Vegetarian Taco Pasta Salad

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