This Creamy Cajun Pasta is an easy weeknight meal, with all the spicy Cajun flavor you love. Once you taste it, it’s hard to believe that the sauce is dairy-free!
Why You’ll Love It
- It’s super flavorful. I can’t believe how much flavor you can pack into a simple pasta dish. You can use a prepared Cajun seasoning if you want to (in that case, use less salt!) but all you need is 5 basic spices to create your own at home.
- Easy ingredients. All you need is a handful of simple ingredients to make this sauce: a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and cashews make the cream sauce come together. No specialty vegan ingredients, like nutritional yeast, are required.
- It’s customizable. You get to control how spicy this dish is. The first time I made it, I used too much cayenne pepper and my nose was running throughout dinner. But, if that’s what you like, feel free to increase the spice!
- It’s veggie-packed. When I make a pasta dish, I like to make sure that at least half of my plate is filled with veggies, so this one includes bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and the diced tomatoes. You can take it a step further by replacing half the pasta with shredded cabbage, as I do in my Peanut Noodles or Vegan Pad Thai recipes.
This is such a fun twist for pasta night! I hope you’ll love the flavor as much as I do.
How to Make It
- Cook the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil (I add a tablespoon of salt to the water) and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- Saute the veggies. In a separate skillet, saute the onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Keep this on medium-low heat, so you’ll have time to stir together the Cajun spice blend, without worrying about the veggies burning.
- Stir together the spices. In a small bowl, add in the garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir well, until it looks evenly mixed. You’ll add this to the veggies when they are tender.
- Make the sauce. Open a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, then drain the juices from that can into a blender. Add in the water, cashews, and salt, and blend until smooth.
- Mix it all together. Drain the pasta and set it aside briefly when it’s done. Add the spice blend to the veggies and stir well to coat them, then add in the diced tomatoes, cooked pasta, and the cream sauce. Stir well, and adjust any seasoning to taste, adding more salt or cayenne pepper, as needed.
- Enjoy! Serve warm right away, with some chopped green onions or fresh cilantro on top.
This dish has plenty of protein when you use a chickpea pasta (I like Banza brand) but you can also add any other protein you like.
A true Cajun pasta would probably have shrimp or sliced sauce added in, so feel free to make it your own, however you see fit.
Substitutions
- How to replace the cashews: If you have a cashew allergy, I imagine using hemp hearts would be a good nut-free substitute. Or, you could use a couple tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, if you don’t need a dairy-free dish. (In that case, omit the water & blending step of this recipe.)
- How to replace the mushrooms: I know not everyone is a fan of mushrooms, even if they may help prevent mild cognitive impairment. You can swap them for thinly sliced zucchini, if you like, or try adding in some shredded cabbage, which I think blends into this sauce nicely.
- How to replace the diced tomatoes: If you can’t find diced tomatoes with green chilies, you can use regular diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes, or try adding in a couple tablespoons of tomato paste, instead. The tomato flavor really brings this sauce to life, but if you need to avoid them for some reason, you could also add in a squeeze of lemon or lime juice for an alternative acid flavor.
I’d love to hear about anything else you try with this recipe, too! It’s very flexible, so feel free to use what you have on hand.
Creamy Cajun Pasta
This Cajun Pasta recipe is naturally dairy-free, and you get to control the spice level! It's vegetarian as written, but you can customize it with any add-ins you love.
Servings:
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (12 grams)
- 1/2 red onion , chopped (140 grams)
- 2 bell peppers (I use red & green; 128 grams each)
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms , chopped (117 grams)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies , reserve juices for sauce
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup raw cashews (65 grams)
Cajun Spice Blend
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil (I add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water), then cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. When it's done cooking, drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a separate large skillet. Saute the onion, peppers, and mushrooms until they start to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season the veggies with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt as you stir, and keep this on medium-low heat, so you can stir together the spice blend as the veggies cook.
- In a small bowl, stir together the Cajun spice blend. Start with just a pinch of Cayenne pepper, because you can always add more later, but you can't undo spice! An 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper makes this dish quite spicy, so I recommend starting with less than that.
- To make the creamy sauce, drain the juices from the can of diced tomatoes directly into your blender. To this, add in the cashews, a 1/4 cup of water, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Blend until very smooth, with no visible cashew pieces remaining.
- Once the veggies are tender, add in the spice blend and stir briefly. Then, add in the diced tomatoes, creamy sauce, and the pasta, and toss well.
- Taste the pasta, and adjust any seasoning, as needed. You can add more salt to boost the flavor, some freshly ground black pepper, and another pinch of cayenne pepper, if you like things spicier, or a little more smoked paprika, for more of a smoky flavor. Serve warm, with any extra garnishes you like. (I added chopped green onions and cilantro.) Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is for 1 of 4 servings. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
Nutrition
Calories: 363kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 516mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1925IU, Vitamin C: 77mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 2mg
If you try this Cajun Pasta, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any other modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. I really appreciate your feedback!
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Reader Feedback: What kind of main entrees would you like to see next?
I made it last night and it was so flavorful and delicious!! A new staple in my house! Thank you for creating the most delicious recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback!
Really enjoyed this! Used zucchini from the garden instead of mushrooms. Very easy to put together and tasted great. Thank you!
This was easy to make and a nice flavor for pasta! I had all the ingredients on hand! I missed the part about adding the contents of the can (minus the juice) to the veggies but your pictures helped!
A+!! So flavorful and perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
This was tasty and easy to make!
Really great weeknight main. Everyone loved it (toddler included!) I need more of these quickly, healthy weeknight meals in my toolbox. Thank you!
So delicious for such a simple recipe! Will definitely make it again. I substituted raw sunflower seeds for the cashews due to an allergy.
So yum and healthy! Awesome pasta dish.
Loved this! I made it as directed and there is a tiny heat with the pinch of cayenne but my husband loved it. Great recipe! Next time I will add some andouille sausage to try that! Thanks!
I loved this dish so much!! Thank you , Megan!
I was about 1/4 c short of cashews, so I supplemented them with pine nuts. Otherwise, I made the recipe just as instructed. I topped our pasta with broiled shrimp & the whole family enjoyed it. There was a little leftover pasta, though no shrimp, so I topped it with roasted edamame for lunches all week. Yum!!
This is one that will stay in the regular rotation.
So good & flavorful! I used heavy cream in place of cashews.
LOVED THIS! My teens even liked it! Nice and creamy
Will adjust for more spice next time, but even my kids who are usually skeptical about cashew-based (or other non-dairy creamy sauces) seemed to like it.
This dish was delicious! The pasta was so creamy and flavorful with the cajun seasoning. I was out of one of the spices so had to use a store bought version. I’m also not a huge fan of mushrooms so I replaced those with zucchini. Thanks for another great recipe!
A new favorite! I made this tonight to take for lunches this week. Well, I’m minus one day of lunch because It was so good, I couldn’t wait. I’m sure this is the first of many times I will be making this. Thanks!
We loved this recipe! My husband is from Louisiana he raved about it.
Absolutely loved this recipe and my husband did, also. It reminds me of a dish I ordered from a restaurant one time, but even better since I can use healthier ingredients that don’t make me regret the decadent flavor. This is my new favorite pasta recipe.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and for guests! All have loved it and some can’t believe there’s no cream. I’m lactose intolerant and I so miss having creamy pastas so this satisfies my cravings. I have also added spinach right before adding the spices and tomatoes and it tastes great. I also use chickpea pasta for extra protein. Thanks!
This pasta was awesome! Couldn’t even tell it wasn’t a cream sauce. Thanks Megan for the great ideas!