Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta

Creamy Cajun sausage pasta is made with a cream cheese sauce and plenty of fresh onion and bell pepper to create a satisfying meal that is also reheats really well for leftovers.

Course: Main Course

Keyword: 30-minute meal, bowtie pasta, cajun seasoning, cream cheese, fresh garlic, grated parmesan cheese, ground sausage, minced garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, quick dinner, red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, spicy sausage, tomato paste, yellow onion

Ingredients

16 ounces pasta
1 pound ground sausage
1 medium onion diced (I used yellow)
1 red bell pepper diced
4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces low-fat/fat-free cream cheese
1/3 cup parmesan freshly grated
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve two cups of the pasta water when you drain it.
Heat a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add in the sausage, onion and bell pepper, and saute, breaking apart the sausage as you go, until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.
If there are pools of grease in the pan, spoon as much of it out as you can before the next step.
Add in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, oregano and parsley, and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste, along with one cup of the reserved pasta water.
Stir in the cream cheese until it’s completely melted. Do the same with the grated parmesan.
Dump in the pasta, and stir everything to coat it well. Add more pasta water if the sauce isn’t as loose as you’d like, and add red pepper flakes (if desired) and salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately.