I know Mardi Gras is barely a blip on everyone else’s radar, but it’s kind of consumed our lives here in Louisiana. If you’re wanting to celebrate, this Creamy Cajun Pasta with Peppers and Smoked Sausage is one of my favorite Louisiana recipes–it has become a dinnertime staple at our house! You’ll never guess that it’s lightened up–the sauce is creamy and luxurious and every bite is full of flavor.
PrintCreamy Cajun Pasta with Peppers and Smoked Sausage
Description
This lightened up version of creamy cajun pasta is full of Louisiana flavor, but packed with veggies, protein, and light on fat!
Ingredients
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound smoked pork sausage, halved and cut into 1/4” slices
1 small red onion, halved and sliced
3–4 cloves garlic, minced
2 colored bell peppers (I used red and yellow), halved and sliced
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water (high elevations increase to 1 3/4)
8 ounces pasta (I used trottole)
2 cups 1% milk
3 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook 2-3 minutes or until it starts to release oil and is browning. Add the onions and cook until fragrant. Add the garlic and sliced bell peppers and cook until the peppers are tender-crisp. Remove from heat and transfer the sausage and peppers to a large plate. Set aside.
Return the pan to heat and add the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then quickly add the pasta, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is absorbed.
While the pasta is cooking, place the milk, cream cheese, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and flour in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. Heat the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. When melted, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until tender and fragrant. Add the mixture from the blender and cook until smooth and thickened to where if the back of a spoon is dipped into the sauce, you can trace your finger down the back of the spoon and that spot will stay clean.
Remove the sauce from heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.
Add the peppers and sausage to the pasta/tomato mixture and stir to combine. Add the garlic sauce and combine. Season to taste with Cajun seasoning and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 366
Fat: 18
Carbs: 32
Protein: 17
Fiber: 2.6
more mardi gras options
If you’re looking for more Mardi Gras recipes, be sure and check out our Louisiana section! There are some delicious recipes in there that need some makeovers, but some of my favorites are the gumbo, jambalaya, red beans & rice, crawfish & corn bisque, individual king cakes, loaded cheese grits, and banana pudding!
I have no idea if this pasta recipe is actually Cajun. I mean, I’ve lived here in Louisiana for awhile now, so you’d think I’d have a grasp of that kind of thing, but I’m just calling it like it is. IÂ do know that it is delicious and involves things often involved in Cajun cooking (smoked sausage…garlic…onions…peppers…a little bit of heat…), so I’m just going to call it Cajun pasta.
lightened up
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you would NEVER guess that it is not 10 million calories. Each serving clocks in at around 360 calories, which is about what I aim for when it comes to dinner. I mean, it isn’t, like, lettuce territory or anything, but it is rich and satisfying without breaking the calorie bank.
how to make it
To start things off, you’ll need a halved and sliced red onion, some garlic, 2 sliced colored bell peppers, and 1/2 pound of smoked pork sausage, halved and cut into 1/4″ slices. If you live in Texas or Louisiana, really great smoked sausage is easy to come by. If you’re having a hard time finding smoked sausage at your regular grocery store, try your local butcher shop–many butchers make their own sausages which can be really amazing.
Preheat 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook 2-3 minutes or until it starts to release oil and is browning. Add the onions and cook until fragrant. Add the garlic and sliced bell peppers and cook until the peppers are tender-crisp. Remove from heat and transfer the sausage and peppers to a large plate. Set aside.
Return the pan to heat and add a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups of water (1 3/4 if you’re at a high elevation). Bring to a boil over high heat, then quickly add 8 ounces of pasta. Let it be known that I frequently buy pasta based solely on the fact that it looks cool.
This is Italian Trottole pasta. There is something unbelievably satisfying about giant, tightly coiled noodles. I’m like a 2-year-old (and I mean that–my almost-2-year-old and I are equally excited about these noodles.)
Quickly cover the pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is absorbed.
While the pasta is cooking, we’re basically going to make a Cajun-y version of our Guiltless Alfredo. place 2 cups of milk, 3 ounces of light cream cheese, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and flour in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. Heat a couple of tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. When melted, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until tender and fragrant. Add the mixture from the blender and cook until smooth and thickened to where if the back of a spoon is dipped into the sauce, you can trace your finger down the back of the spoon and that spot will stay clean.
Remove the sauce from heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.
Add the peppers and sausage to the pasta/tomato mixture and stir to combine. Add the creamy, smoky garlic sauce and combine. Season to taste with Cajun seasoning and serve immediately.
Makes 8 servings.
This recipe is amazing. All of us loved it. We will make it again for sure.
Wow,looks delicious and healthy to eat.I can’t wait to cook this for my family.Thanks.