This Creamy Cajun-Inspired Pasta with Veggies & Chick’n is loaded with flavor and a hearty mix of corn, zucchini, roasted peppers, and plant-based chick’n. It has a simple cauliflower cream sauce that comes together in the blender, for a twist on traditional cream sauce. Topped with scallions and extra hot sauce for spicy heat!
For a fun summer twist on a creamy cajun pasta, this flavorful and loaded recipe brings the heat! It’s filled with bright vegetables like corn and zucchini. With chili flavors and lime juice, which always makes me think of the warmer months.
Plus, it has hearty (and super tasty!) Like Meat Grilled Chick’n. Tasty additions like roasted red peppers, green onion, and hot sauce make this Creamy Cajun-Inspired Pasta with Veggies & Chick’n irresistible!
You can dial the spice up or down, so it’s easily customized for you and your family’s preferences. You can pile on the hot sauce and spicy jalapenos, while also keeping it mild for the kiddo portions.
The Like Meat Grilled Chick’n pairs so well with the flavors in here, and provides the perfect hearty bite! If you’re looking for a meat alternative for your summer recipes, Sprouts Farmers Market now has the Like Meat Grilled Chick’n that is also a great option for summer kabobs, pastas, tacos and wraps, and even salads.
You can find Like Meat products in the Frozen Department at Sprouts. They’re made of soy and have a great texture, and flavored with Hungarian pepper seasoning – so good! Also non-GMO, gluten free, and 19 grams of protein!
How This Creamy Cajun-Inspired Pasta with Veggies & Chick’n Comes Together
First, cook your favorite pasta in salted water until al dente. I used whole wheat shells which were a great shape for this recipe! Then meanwhile, you’ll steam the cauliflower until it’s tender.
To cook the veggies, preheat a large pan on medium heat. Finely chop the onion and add it to the pan along with the frozen corn and some oil. Then you’ll add the diced zucchini and Like Meat Grilled Chick’n. While these cook together, you can make the sauce in the blender.
The other sauce ingredients are coconut milk, nutritional yeast, seasonings, vegetable broth, dijon mustard, hot sauce. You can get creative with the seasonings and add more of your favorites, and/or alter the amount of nutritional yeast.
Lastly, the pasta and sauce go into the pan to combine with the veggies mixture, along with the roasted red peppers. Great toppings for this pasta are extra hot sauce, spicy jalapenos, and green onion.
Other Delicious Creamy Pasta Recipes
Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli
If you try this Creamy Cajun-Inspired Pasta with Veggies & Chick’n, I’d love to hear what you think! You can tag me on Instagram @janetsmunchmeals and leave a comment here!
Creamy Cajun-Inspired Pasta with Veggies & Chick’n
Ingredients
- ½ lb. shell pasta
- 14 oz. frozen cauliflower
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp. kosher salt divided
- 1 tsp. pepper divided
- 1 tsp. chili powder divided
- 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder divided
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 2 to 3 tbsp hot sauce to taste
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 tbsp. avocado oil
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 package Like Meat Grilled Chick’n
- ½ cup finely chopped roasted red peppers
- Juice of ¼ to ½ lime to taste
- 1/3 cup scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp spicy jalapeno peppers jarred type
Instructions
- Cook the shell pasta according to the package directions in salted water until al dente, then drain.
- Steam 14 oz. frozen cauliflower until tender. Transfer cauliflower to a blender, with 1 tsp. dried parsley, ½ tsp. kosher salt, ½ tsp. pepper, ½ tsp. chili powder, ¾ tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. dijon mustard, 2 to 3 tbsp. hot sauce (to taste), ¾ cup vegetable broth, ½ cup full-fat coconut milk, and 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides of blender as needed.
- Meanwhile, add 2 cups frozen corn, 1 tbsp. avocado oil, and ½ cup finely chopped red onion to a large pan. Cook for 3 min, stirring occasionally. Add ½ tsp. smoked paprika, dash of cayenne, 1 medium diced zucchini, 1 package Like Meat Grilled Chick’n, remaining ½ tsp. kosher salt, ½ tsp. pepper, ½ tsp. chili powder, and ¾ tsp. garlic powder. Stir, cover with a lid, and cook for 4 to 5 min until the Like Meat Grilled Chick’n is tender, adding a couple tablespoons of water to prevent burning if needed.
- Add cooked pasta and sauce to the pan, along with ½ cup finely chopped roasted red peppers and juice of ¼ to ½ lime (to taste). Stir together and top with 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions, 2 tbsp. spicy jalapeno peppers, and more hot sauce.