Jambalaya Pasta (Pastalaya)

Jambalaya Pasta in a blue and white bowl in front of a loaf of sliced bread and a bowl of sliced green onions.

Course: dinner, Entree

Cuisine: Creole, Soul Food

Keyword: chicken, pasta, sausage, shrimp

Prep Time: 3

Cook Time: 57

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 886kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

Jambalaya Pasta or "Pastalaya" is a delicious recipe with the same great Creole flavors of jambalaya with chicken, sausage, and shrimp, made with pasta instead of rice.

Print Recipe

Equipment

6-quart or larger sauté pan or rondeau

Ingredients

4 each (1 pound 10 ounces or 725 grams) boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 1/2" chunks
1 pound (475 grams) peeled shrimp deveined and tails removed
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 grams) creole seasoning separated
6 slices (1/2 pound or 277 grams) thick-cut bacon chopped
1 medium yellow onion diced (1 1/2 cups or 200 grams)
3 large celery stalks trimmed and diced, 1 1/3 cup or 185 grams)
1 medium green bell pepper seeded and diced (1 1/4 cups or 170 grams)
5 large cloves garlic minced (about 1/4 cup or 40 grams)
1 28-ounce can (794 grams) diced tomatoes or 5 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon (15 grams) tomato paste
2 sprigs thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves)
12 ounce package (397 grams) Andouille sausage sliced 1/2-inch thick
6 cups (1 1/2 quarts or 1.5 litres) seafood stock or chicken stock
1 pound (454 grams) penne pasta
2 large bay leaves

Instructions

Season the Shrimp and Chicken

Add the shrimp to a small bowl and season it with 1 1/4 teaspoons of the creole seasoning.
Toss the shrimp in the seasoning blend to coat it evenly.
Season the diced chicken thighs with another 1 1/4 teaspoons of the creole seasoning in a separate bowl.
Allow the chicken and shrimp to marinate while you begin the jambalaya pasta.

Render the Bacon Grease and Brown the Chicken

Add the diced bacon to a cold, wide rondeau pot or a large sauté pan without any oil.
Set the stove temperature to medium and let the bacon slowly come up to temperature with the pan.
After about 10 minutes, the bacon will crisp up.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces to a paper-lined plate, leaving the grease behind in the pan.
Set the bacon to the side for later.
Add the chicken thighs to the pan with the bacon grease.
Brown the chicken for 6 minutes over medium high heat.
Remove the chicken thighs from the pan using a slotted spoon and set it in the bowl with your sliced sausage.

Create the Jambalaya Pasta Sauce

Add the diced celery, garlic, green peppers, and onion to the grease in the pan.
Sauté the aromatics over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are glossy.
Next, stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and the remaining creole seasoning.
Cook this mixture until they form a thick sauce in the pan. This cook time is about 10 minutes over medium-high heat.

Cook the Jambalaya Pasta

Add the seafood stock (or chicken stock), browned chicken, and sausage to the pot with the rest of the ingredients.
Stir in the pasta and bay leaves and allow the liquids in the pan to come up to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid.
Simmer the jambalaya pasta for 15 minutes, stirring once during the cooking period.

Add the Shrimp, then Serve

Add the shrimp to the pot after 15 minutes of cooking the jambalaya pasta.
After stirring in the shrimp, continue cooking the jambalaya pasta for another 5-7 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
Taste the sauce and add more creole seasoning to suit your preference.
Garnish with sliced green onions and hot sauce, if desired, before serving.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

If you have a shellfish allergy, you can omit the shrimp in this recipe or replace it with more of the other proteins.
You can replace the bacon and andouille sausage in jambalaya pasta with beef bacon, beef kielbasa sausage, chicken andouille sausage, or a spicy sausage made from another type of meat.
You can replace the chicken thighs with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
A combination chicken-seafood broth will add even more flavor, though water is a good substitute.
Replace the penne with farfalle, or tortiglioni (not to be confused with tortellini).

Tips and Techniques:

Save a little prep time with help from the store, and use pre-cut vegetables, canned tomatoes, dried thyme, and peeled and deveined shrimp.
The chicken will be slightly undercooked, which is optimal because it will continue cooking further in the dish.
Adding the shrimp at the end of cooking prevents it from becoming too tough.
When the jambalaya pasta is finished, it will look soupy, but as it sits, the pasta will soak up the liquid in the pan. Because of this, you want to remove it from the heat after 20 minutes, or the pasta will become too mushy.

Storage Instructions:

Transfer leftover jambalaya pasta to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Heat leftover pastalaya in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until it's warmed through.

Freezing Instructions:

Allow the jambalaya pasta to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container.
Freeze the pastalaya for up to 2 months.
Thaw jambalaya pasta in the fridge overnight and reheat it in the microwave until warm.

Nutrition