Weeknight Pastalaya takes the spirit of jambalaya and flips it into a pasta dish that hits the table fast. You still get the Cajun flavors, the trinity, and a solid protein mix—but with a fraction of the prep. We’re skipping the long simmer and rice timing that traditional jambalaya needs. This version leans on rotisserie chicken, smoked sausage, and shrimp for layered flavor without layering in extra steps. Cook the pasta separately, finish everything in one pan, and you’re done. Minimal mess. Maximum return.

Ingredients for Weeknight Pastalaya

  • 1 tbsp salt

  • 2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes (1 for the pasta water, 1 for the sauce)

  • 1 (9 oz) container pre-chopped celery and onion

  • 1 (11 oz) container fajita veggies (bell pepper and onion mix)

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 (13 oz) package smoked sausage, sliced

  • 12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined (smaller = better)

  • ½ tbsp each: Tony’s Creole seasoning, blackening seasoning, paprika, garlic powder

  • ½ tsp each: dried thyme, dried basil

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1 (8 oz) container pulled rotisserie chicken

  • 1 lb wide Amish egg noodles (or any pasta you like)

  • 32 oz chicken stock

  • ¼ cup flour

  • Reserved pasta water as needed

Method

  1. Cook the pasta
    Bring 6–8 cups of water to a boil with 1 tbsp salt and 1 Knorr bouillon cube. Add the noodles and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving 1–2 cups of the pasta water.

  2. Soften the vegetables
    In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pre-chopped celery/onion mix and fajita veggies. Cook until softened and just starting to brown—about 7–8 minutes.

  3. Brown the sausage
    Push the veggies to the side of the pan and add the smoked sausage. Let it get some color, then stir everything together.

  4. Build the sauce
    Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat. Let it cook for 1–2 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add the chicken stock and the second bouillon cube. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

  5. Season and cream
    Add all the seasonings—Tony’s, blackening, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, basil—and stir. Once the sauce is simmering, stir in the cream.

  6. Add noodles and combine
    Toss in the cooked noodles and stir everything together. Use reserved pasta water a little at a time to get your desired consistency.

  7. Finish with shrimp and chicken
    Add the rotisserie chicken and frozen shrimp last. Stir, bring it back to a simmer, and cook just until the shrimp are fully opaque—about 2–3 minutes depending on size. Don’t overcook them.

  8. Taste and serve
    Give it a final taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

Smaller Shrimp Work Best

This dish is fast and rich, and shrimp cook quickly in the residual heat. Bigger shrimp tend to overcook or break up. Go for the small to medium ones—they blend in better and give you more shrimp in each bite.

Save Money with Whole Veg

In this recipe we’re leaning on a lot of pre-chopped and prepped produce—fajita mix, onion/celery packs—because it makes the dish faster to throw together. But if you’re looking to stretch your grocery budget, you can save a lot by buying whole celery, bell peppers, and onions. Chop them yourself and store what you don’t use for later in the week. It’s a few extra minutes, but worth it when you’re feeding a family or watching your grocery bill.

Cream of Chicken Shortcut

The sauce in this recipe is built with a mix of chicken stock and a little flour to thicken it up—but if you’re really in a rush, you could swap in 2 small cans or 1 large can of cream of chicken soup instead. It’s not quite as rich, and you’ll lose a bit of that cooked-from-scratch flavor, but it still gets the job done.

With that swap, this entire dish came together in 23 minutes and 59 seconds. That’s from the moment I walked in with groceries to the moment I turned the heat off. It’s one of the fastest “real food” dinners I’ve made.