cajun jambalaya pasta

tom and i love going to the cheesecake factory.  forget about the endless search for a parking spot.  forget about the crazy wait. forget about the overpriced slices of cheesecake.  it’s entirely worth it.  the far away parking spaces help to burn the extra calories.  the wait is spent at the apple store.  the cheesecake is devoured bite by bite and lasts a few days in our fridge at home.  the food is out of this world!

tom’s favorite is the cajun jambalaya pasta.  my favorite is adam’s peanut butter cup fudge ripple cheesecake.  i figured out how to make the pasta but am nervous to even begin to find a recipe for the cheesecake.  i think i’ll just stop at the pasta and opt out of turning into the michelin woman.

slightly adapted from blog.al.com

• evoo
• 1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken tenderloins, chopped into bite sized pieces.
• 2 tbsp cajun spice blend
• 2 bell peppers (green, yellow, and/or red), cut into thin strips
• 4 oz onion, cut into thin strips
• 8 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp cajun spice blend
• 4 oz. tomato, diced into 1″ pieces
• 1 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1/2 lb pasta
• chopped parsley and more cajun spice, to garnish

1. prep all of your ingredients, so you can place them in the pan quickly!
2. begin to boil pot of salted water for the pasta.
3. heat evoo in a large (LARGE) saute pan over medium heat.  place chicken into mixing bowl and toss with 2 tbsp cajun spice.
4. add chicken to saute pan and cook it until it is about half done.  add peppers, onions and shrimp into the pan.  continue cooking until shrimp are about half done.  add garlic, salt, pepper and 2 tsp cajun spice.
5. add pasta to the boiling water.  if using fresh, wait until the end of the next step.
6. add diced tomatoes, and broth into the pan. stir the ingredients together.  continue to cook until the chicken and shimp are done and vegetables are tender.
7. place pasta into serving bowls.  spoon jambalaya over the pasta.  garnish with parsley and more cajun spice.

enjoy!