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
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.
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! – Reader Feedback: What kind of main entrees would you like to see next?
