Less than 30 minutes to make with just one pot to clean. This easy pasta dinner recipe is the ultimate cheesy comfort food for busy weeknights.
A quick and easy dinner you’ll want to make again and again!
No need to precook and strain the pasta for this tasty dinner. Everything gets made in just one pot, saving the dishwasher valuable time spent in the kitchen. Not only is this cajun inspired pasta incredibly fast and simple to make, it’s CRAZY GOOD.
Flavorful sausage tossed with bowtie pasta, tomatoes, and lots of gooey cheese. How can you mess that up? You can also customize this easy dinner recipe to suit your family’s preferences. Picky eaters at home? Use smoked sausage instead. Want to add some veggies? Toss in some bell peppers or broccoli for added nutrition.
Easy Cajun Sausage Pasta Made In One Pot
- 1 (13oz) pack cajun andouille sausage
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 (14.5oz) can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 (10oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies
- 8 ounces dry bowtie pasta (half a pound)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning (or to taste)
Step 1Cut the sausage into coins and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Remove the sausage from the pan and place it on a paper towel lined plate to absorb some of the grease.
Step 2In the same pan, cook the garlic in the remaining sausage grease for about a minute or until fragrant. Pour in the can of chicken broth, can of diced tomatoes, ½ cup heavy cream, and optional seasoning. Stir in the dry pasta, cover with a lid, and simmer on LOW for about 14 minutes.
Step 3Once the pasta is fully cooked, toss in the cooked sausage and about 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. The pasta is already salty and flavorful thanks to the chicken broth, so that’s why I recommend only 1 tsp of cajun seasoning, but you can add more if you’d like. Just be careful if your cajun seasoning lists salt as the #1 ingredient.
This amazing one pot meal is now our favorite pasta recipe for dinner! It’s packed full of flavor and loaded with gooey cheese. If you have a family with picky kids to feed, you can opt for a milder sausage along with any can of diced tomatoes to keep the spice down. This creamy pasta can also be customized with other mix-ins such as onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, leftover chicken, broccoli, etc.
Recipe Variations
- You can use any flavor of sausage for this recipe. If you have kids that don’t like spicy food, try the smoked sausage and MILD can of Rotel.
- Try sautéing chopped onions and bell peppers along with the garlic to bring this recipe up a notch.
- Want to add some veggies? Toss in some cooked broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, or anything else you’d like.
- If you have any leftover chicken, you could also include that with this recipe to make it go further. Shrimp also pairs well!
- I’m certain that any kind of pasta could be used for this recipe, but some of them may require more or less liquid to fully cook.
One Pot Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 (13oz) pack cajun andouille sausage (cut into coins)
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 (14.5oz) can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 (10oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies
- 8 ounces dry bowtie pasta (½ pound or approximately 2 cups)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning *see notes
Instructions
- In a large skillet (big enough to eventually fit the pasta that also has a lid), cook the sausage over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until browned to your liking.
- Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Don't get rid of the sausage grease in the pan!
- In the same skillet, sauté the garlic in the leftover sausage grease for about a minute and then pour in the can of chicken broth, diced tomatoes, heavy cream, and about 1 tsp of cajun seasoning. Stir in the dry pasta, cover with a lid, and simmer on LOW for about 14 minutes.
- Once the pasta is fully cooked, toss in the cooked sausage and a few cups of shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- *If the brand of cajun seasoning you're using lists salt as the #1 ingredient, go easy on the seasoning or even wait until the pasta is cooked to do a taste test. The chicken broth and sausage are already loaded with salt so you don't need much! You can add cayenne or red pepper flakes if you want to make it extra spicy.
- Most sausage contains enough of its own grease to skip the use of oil, but feel free to use a bit of cooking oil if you think you need it.
- If you have picky kids at home who are spice sensitive, try the smoked sausage along with a MILD can of diced tomatoes.
- For added flavor, you can sauté chopped onions and bell peppers just before adding the garlic.
- Looking for mix-in ideas? How about mushrooms, cooked broccoli, asparagus, leftover chicken, or shrimp.
Don’t forget to pin and save this one pot dinner for later! 🙂
