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’d never even guess that it’s lightened up, as the sauce is creamy and luxurious and every bite is full of flavor.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Pasta
- Extra virgin olive oil – Or oil of choice.
- Smoked pork sausage – 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. Many grocery stores carry andouille sausage, which is what I’m using here.
- Small red onion
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Bell peppers – Any two colors you like. I used red and yellow.
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Water
- Pasta – I use trottole, but use whatever you like!
Sauce
- Milk – I use 1% but any will do.
- Cream cheese – I use low fat. Full fat or low fat (Neufchatel) will both work. Avoid fat free.
- Cajun or Creole seasoning – Like Tony Cachere’s.
- Smoked paprika – This adds a nice smoky depth to the sauce.
- All-purpose flour
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can.
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated from the block is best!
How to Make Creamy Cajun Pasta
- You’ll start by sautéing your sausage until it begins to release its oil and start browning. At that point you’ll toss in some sliced onion, then garlic and bell peppers. When the bell peppers are tender-crisp, you’ll remove that mixture to a plate and set aside.
- In your pan you’ll add a can of diced tomatoes and some water to a boil and add some pasta. 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, you’ll make your sauce, which is basically a Cajun-style version of our Guiltless Alfredo. You’ll place milk, cream cheese, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and flour in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth.
- In a saucepan, melt a little butter and cook some crushed garlic until fragrant, then add the milk mixture and cook until thickened enough that your finger leaves a clean trail down the back of a spoon that’s been dipped in the sauce. Pull the sauce off the heat and add the parmesan cheese.
- When the pasta is cooked, add the sausage and veggies back to the pan, add your sauce, and toss to combine. Season to taste with Cajun seasoning and serve immediately.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover pasta in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Add a splash of milk before reheating to help loosen the sauce and restore its creamy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
While leftovers are still good reheated, the sauce is at its best when freshly added. If you’re planning to serve for a family dinner, I would make it through the step of adding the sauce. Store the pasta and veggie mixture separately, then add the sauce (you may need a splash of milk when reheating) and heat everything gently on the stovetop.
Is this pasta spicy?
It has a little kick, but it’s not super spicy. To control the spice, I would make sure to get a mild sausage. I would still add some Cajun seasoning to the sauce, but you can always finish the dish off with just more salt and pepper to taste instead of adding extra Cajun seasoning at the end.
Can I freeze this pasta for later?
Cream-based sauces can separate when frozen and reheated, so freezing isn’t ideal for this recipe.
Creamy Cajun Pasta with Peppers and Smoked Sausage
This lightened up version of creamy cajun pasta is full of Louisiana flavor, but packed with veggies, protein, and light on fat!
Servings servings
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ 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 ½ cups water high elevations increase to 1 3/4
- 8 ounces pasta I used trottole
Sauce
- 2 cups 1% milk
- 3 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning like Tony Chachere’s
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 cup 4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Pasta
- 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.
Sauce
- 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.
Combine
- 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
- Store leftover pasta in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Add a splash of milk before reheating to help loosen the sauce and restore its creamy texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups, Calories: 349kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 612mg, Potassium: 455mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1542IU, Vitamin C: 45mg, Calcium: 275mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 349kcal
Cost: $14
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Questions & Reviews
Made this tonight. I doubled up on the meat, sauce and veggies, realized too late that I was short on both tomatoes and pasta but all was well in the end. Very flavorful dish that lends itself exceptionally well to customization. I think next time I’ll caramelize the onions really well to get that awesome depth of flavor and switch up my spices a bit. The crunch from the peppers (red/yellow/orange/green, whatever you use) was a little unexpected and the perfect compliment to the rest of the dish which was savory and very ‘melt in your mouth’. #winner
Thanks for a great new recipe — we loved it!!
This was sooo good!! We loved it. Definitely going to make it again 🙂
Made this for Father’s day and my husband enjoyed it very well. For those who may not have a blender, after making the roux with the butter, garlic and flour, you can add the spices, milk and cream cheese to the pot and just cook until thickened, while whisking to make certain the sauce is smooth. This worked well for me. Thanks for the great recipe.
Can you substitute the 1% milk for unsweetened almond milk?
I probably wouldn’t. If dairy is a concern, you’ve got the Parmesan, cream cheese, and butter in fairly large quantities, so you’d still have dairy issues.
Was just thinking of being lazy… because I already have almond milk in my fridge. Thanks Kate!
I want to make this tonight. Looks good. Just curious. If I can’t find the pasta, what could I substitute it with?
You can just use 8 ounces of your favorite pasta, any kind. 🙂
Oh my….JUST made this and it is fabulous. An easy dish and SUPER tasty. I didn’t make any changes to the sauce or veggies, but I subbed Basque sausage for it (What we like and can find here in Idaho) and it is soooo good. A great recipe going into the rotation. I also found the pasta at Fred Meyers too.
You are right—-it’s hard to believe that this isn’t a calorie laden dish. But hooray that it isn’t!!!! Nice combo of textures in a one pot dish. I am with you—-I like leftovers but after there is a limit to how many times I want to eat it.
This is so delicious! I think I may make the Guiltless Alfredo Sauce like this all the time now. Also, that is my favorite sauce of all time. Thanks for being awesome!
Oh, yay!!! I’m so glad you loved it!
I have a major aversion to sausage, don’t know why, just can’t eat it. Wonder what I could substitute or I could try it meatless. Decisions, decisions.
I was wondering the same thing, just because I’ve been trying to make vegetarian dinners more often. I think it would be delicious meatless or with chicken or something, but obviously it would lose some flavor without the sausage, so I wonder what to put in to replace some of that flavor?
You could do rotisserie chicken or shrimp–both of those are fairly legit Louisiana foods, haha. See if you can find a Cajun-seasoned rotisserie chicken. Or just play around with the Cajun seasoning and the smoked paprika to find a good balance of smoke and heat–if things are getting a little too salty but not hot enough, you can add Tabasco or cayenne pepper.