Jambalaya Pasta

I love when leftover ingredients from previous meals perfectly form another dish. It saves a trip to the store and makes sure that nothing is wasted. Last week, I made my Cajun Pizza with Shrimp and Andouille. A few days ago I sauteed a squash and zucchini mix from Nonnie's garden and we also had Italian One Pot Pasta.

Together these recipes yielded almost all the ingredients I needed for one of our spicy creole favorites; Jambalaya Pasta. It comes from a favorite cookbook of my Dad and I and can be found at A Taste of Home. It's loaded with vegetables and has a great spicy kick. There's also a ton of ways to change it up so you can make it exactly how you like it! Feel free to omit or add anything you want...I always do!

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound bulk spicy pork sausage (I used a link instead of bulk but it's really good with bulk too.)
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes (I omitted chicken this time.)
  
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Cajun stewed tomatoes
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1 medium carrot, julienned (I omitted)
  
• 1 small yellow summer squash, sliced and quartered (I used the cooked squash and zucchini I already had)
  
• 1 small zucchini, sliced and quartered
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Red pepper flakes (My optional addition)
• 1 cup frozen cooked shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
• Hot cooked pasta (I used egg noodles leftover from before but had made with spaghetti too.)
  
• 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled ( I used crumbled Real Bacon in the package)
• Parmesan Cheese (My optional addition)
  

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain.

{I used leftover pre-cooked sausage links so I added a little olive oil and didn't need to drain because it wouldn't yield any fat.}

Add chicken; cook until chicken is no longer pink.

{I didn't use chicken}

Add the tomato sauce...

Canned tomatoes and salsa...

Carrot (didn't use), squash and zucchini...

And now all your seasonings.

*Now you can boil your pasta so it will be ready to toss in when sauce is done.*

Bring to sauce to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. {I only simmered for about 7 minutes since my veggies were already cooked and just needed to be warmed through}

Stir in shrimp; heat until shrimp turn pink.

{2-3 minutes}

Serve over cooked pasta; sprinkle with bacon.

Yield: 4 servings.

I added red pepper flakes to the seasonings and added parmesan cheese to the top.
It's so good! Another delicious pasta dish to add to your repertoire. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Katie Follow @ktgray13