I also have to give credit to the amazing Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. One of my favorite bloggers slash Food Network Stars. Her recipes never fail to make my mouth water, and her blog is amazing for home cooks (http://thepioneerwoman.com/). If it's easier, just follow her recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta, I promise I won't be offended. If not, here is my rendition.
Prep work: slice up one green pepper, one red pepper, and half a red onion (I'm sure a white onion would be OK too). Chop three cloves of garlic while you're at it. Put a large pot of water on to boil for your pasta.
Next, heat a large skillet over medium- high heat to cook your protein. I happened to have Cajun Spiced Chicken Sausage (how convenient!) so I heated that up. But like Lilly's and Ree's recipes, you can use chicken. If you go the sausage route, cook the links for a few minutes until heated through (they are already fully- cooked, so no need to go overboard here).
Once your protein is cooked, remove it from the pan and add a tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. To the buttery-oily goodness, add your veggies (green and red pepper, onion and garlic). Season them with Cajun seasoning (*see below*) and cook for a good 5-10 minutes until the veggies are soft and slightly browned.
Meanwhile, your water is probably boiling, so add some salt and a box (~1lb) of pasta. Any type of pasta will work here. Cook the pasta according to package directions (and maybe a minute less). No one likes overcooked pasta!
Once your veggies are cooked, add one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and continue cooking for another minute or two. Remove from pan (i.e: pour into a bowl that your tall fiance got down from the top shelf and set aside).
With the pan back on the stove, add a 1/2 cup of white wine and about 2 cups of chicken broth. This will help deglaze the pan. Deglaze is a fancy word for loosening up all the tasty brown bits that are stuck to the pan. Cook the wine/broth mixture for a few minutes. What you're doing is burning off the alcohol (I know, how sad) and condensing the flavor of the wine. Therefore, make sure you use a good wine when you cook (who am I kidding- I used boxed wine...but then again, I drink boxed wine...) Once the wine/broth has cooked down, add 1 cup of heavy cream and let that cook down for a few minutes. I was expecting the cream mixture to thicken more than it did, so don't worry if it looks thin. Once you add back in the veggies, protein, and pasta it will thicken up just fine...
Speaking of, add your veggies and protein back in to the cream sauce. I also added about a cup of chopped spinach. This wilts quickly so the heat of the sauce will do the trick. After a minute or two, add in your drained pasta. I also added a generous palmful of parmesan cheese here, because, let's face it, everything is better with cheese.
*Cajun Seasoning*
If you have Cajun seasoning, you're good to go. If you don't, you can make it from what you already have in your spice rack. Paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper. I approximated, so feel free to look up Cajun seasoning recipe online (there are tons!) Or, just wing it like I did and mix the aforementioned spices until it tastes good. Beware of the cayenne though. Cajun food is spicy but don't overdo the cayenne. If you're using chicken instead of sausage, you are going to use this seasoning to flavor the chicken so make extra!
I just want to add a quick side note that this is really good. Like, really good. It's spicy. It's creamy. It's veggies, protein, and carbs all in one bowl. And while I love Mexican food, this was the best Cinco de Mayo (ok, Quatro de Mayo) meal I've ever made. Speaking of Mexican, I need another margarita....
Adios y buen provecho.
