This Cajun Sausage Pasta is creamy, spicy, and full of flavor. I made it lighter by skipping the heavy cream!
A Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta Made A Little Lighter
When I’m craving a hearty Alfredo-based pasta, my goal is pure comfort food—ultra creamy and packed with flavor. Usually, this means using lots of heavy cream and cheese (like in my favorite creamy sausage pasta!).
But with this Cajun Sausage Pasta, I skipped the heavy cream and used less cheese than most recipes. Don’t worry, though; there’s no sacrifice in flavor or creaminess—none at all! Even with a few lighter swaps, it still tastes just as indulgent as a heavy cream-based pasta.
Quick Recipe Breakdown
- Cajun sausage pasta—no cream! I use milk instead. For the lowest calories, go with 1% milk. For a creamier texture, choose 2% or whole milk. Even these options have far fewer calories than cream.
- The sauce includes chicken broth, making up 1/3 of it. This cuts down on calories and fat compared to using just milk.
- I use low-fat cream cheese and less Parmesan than a typical Alfredo sauce. It still gives that classic Alfredo taste, but with less fat.
- A mix of seasonings adds incredible flavor without extra calories or fat.
- For sausage, I prefer turkey sausage for a lighter option, but any skinless smoked sausage works. If turkey isn’t your thing, try Andouille sausage.
- And don’t forget all the veggies—onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic!
How To Make Cajun Sausage Pasta
- Season as you go. If this dish tastes flat, add a sprinkle of salt or some extra cajun seasoning.
- Optional additions. If the sauce tastes too heavy, cut it with some fresh herbs (we prefer flat-leaf Italian parsley). For a bit of heat, I recommend adding in extra cajun seasoning or even a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Loosen the sauce. If the sauce ends up too thick at the end, pour in some additional liquid (a splash of reserved pasta water or extra milk) to thin it out a bit and nicely coat the pasta.
Cajun Sausage Pasta Alfredo Ingredients
- Butter: This sauce also works great with 1/4 cup olive oil instead of butter.
- Flour: This ingredient is responsible for thickening the sauce.
- Chicken broth: This ingredient cuts lots of fat/calories while infusing the sauce with additional flavor and savoriness.
- Milk: The lowest-fat milk I found to work in this sauce is 1%; 2% or whole milk will deliver a creamier pasta. We don’t recommend skim milk or milk alternatives like soy, almond, or oat milk. These milks don’t thicken well and change the overall flavor substantially.
Ingredients Continued
- Seasonings: Cajun seasoning (see “quick tip” below), dried oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper deliver incredible depth to the sauce. Feel free to increase any of these seasonings to personal preference, making sure to add the salt slowly so you don’t end up with an overly salted Cajun Sausage Pasta. (Remember: the sausage, pasta water, and chicken broth are all salted..
- Cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese: Neufchâtel is sometimes labeled “1/3 less fat than cream cheese.” Cream cheese and Neufchâtel cheese are extremely similar, but the Neufchâtel keeps this sauce a little lighter.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese: Good Parmesan makes a big difference to overall flavor. Avoid canned Parmesan and go for the blocks of cheese to freshly grate. When grating the cheese for this dish, use a microplane (best texture!) or the small holes of your cheese grater.
Quick Tip
Let’s chat Cajun seasoning. This seasoning can vary a lot from brand to brand. We personally use McCormick’s® Perfect Pinch Cajun or Tony Chachere’s® Original Creole Seasoning (neither sponsored). You can also make your own Cajun seasoning mix if you’d prefer. Whatever you use, add slowly and to taste.
Variations
Add A Different Protein
Make Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta by adding in some pan-seared shrimp! After cooking veggies, sear some shrimp (reference directions in this Lemon Garlic Shrimp recipe) and set aside with sausage and veggies.
Prepare Cajun Chicken and Sausage Pasta by adding in some leftover diced rotisserie or grilled chicken. Mix just to warm through when adding the pasta to the sauce.
Storage
Cajun Sausage Pasta Storage
This recipe is best enjoyed the minute it’s finished. In fact, this is when all pasta dishes taste their best!
You can certainly store leftovers, but you’ll likely need to add a splash more milk or chicken broth to loosen the sauce as you reheat the pasta. (Pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it stores). Leftover pasta will be softer, but still plenty flavorful.
Because of the pasta and dairy in this dish, it isn’t a great candidate for freezing and thawing.
Quick Tip
Don’t forget to season the water with plenty of salt before adding in the pasta; otherwise the entire recipe will taste under-seasoned. As a general rule of thumb, I add 1 teaspoon salt per 4 cups of water.
More Lighter Pasta Dishes:
- Chicken Alfredo with a lighter Alfredo sauce
- Penne Pasta with a lightened-up Parmesan cream sauce
- Vegetable Pasta with a “secret” ingredient (corn) that makes up the cream sauce!
- Corn Pasta made without any milk or cream!
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with a lighter sauce and bacon alternative
Cajun Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 1 package (13 ounces) smoked sausage, coined, see Note 1
- 1 small finely diced yellow onion, 1 cup
- 2 thinly sliced bell peppers, 1 red and 1 green
- 1 package (8 ounces) sliced baby bella or crimini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup white flour
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock
- 2 cups 1%, 2%, or whole milk
- Salt and pepper
- 2-4 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and paprika
- 2 ounces reduced-fat or regular cream cheese
- 12 ounces (3-1/2 cups) penne pasta, Note 2
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Note 3
- Optional: fresh parsley, finely diced
Instructions
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, thinly slice the stemmed and seeded bell peppers, and slice the sausage into thin coins.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or pot over medium-high. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the sausage coins and sear, stirring occasionally, until browned. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil behind. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and stir in the diced onion for 1 minute. Add sliced peppers and mushrooms, and sauté until crisp-tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Transfer veggies to the bowl with sausage.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, subtracting 1 minute. Generously salt the boiling water (1 teaspoon salt per 4 cups water).
- In the same pan, reduce heat to medium and add butter. Once melted, sprinkle flour and whisk until a dough forms. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually pour in 1/2 the chicken broth, whisking until thick. Gradually add remaining broth and milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly.
- Increase heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a gentle simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5-8 minutes (it should be thick enough to draw a path across the back of a spoon that stays). Meanwhile, melt the cream cheese in the microwave until very soft. Add to the sauce along with the Cajun seasoning (to taste), oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk briskly until combined.
- Remove the cream sauce from heat. Stir in the cooked pasta, sausage, and veggies (with any accumulated liquid). Toss until well coated. Gradually add Parmesan cheese, a few tablespoons at a time, until integrated. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve immediately. Optionally, grate more cheese atop individual bowls with a microplane.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this a number of times over the past few years…it is good!! It’s kid friendly, however be prepared that it does make a lot.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Noelle! 🙂
This recipe is phenomenal!
Thank you so much Hayley! 🙂
This is a superbly delicious recipe. I made it for our meal prep recently and used campanelle pasta (which I think held the creamy sauce much better tbh,, but I did have to double up on the liquids since I used more pasta). It also went well with a chicken apple sausage that I had on hand. I love the fact that I could really just use one pan with this recipe! S/O loved it too!
LOVE hearing that! Thank you so much for the comment Alyssa 🙂
Hey girl- this looks so yummy!
This looks so good and so easy!
I am totally in love with mushrooms at the moment. x
What I like from this pasta is the caramelization of the veggies and the sausage.