Saturday, July 20, 2024

Jambalaya Pasta Salad

I've had a hankering for my jambalaya for a couple weeks now, but it's too hot for something hot, so I decided to turn it into a chilled pasta salad. This makes a BIG batch, and not sure how well it will freeze, so you may want to cut it in half. Since jambalaya is generally a little spicier, I usually add a bit of hot sauce to mine - any Cajun/Louisiana-style hot sauce would be great on this. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb elbow macaroni, farfalle, or other smallish pasta
  • 12-16 oz smoked sausage, split lengthwise and then cut into 1/4" slices
  • 12-16 andouille sausage, split lengthwise and then cut into 1/4" slices
  • 8 oz finely diced ham
  • 1-2 lb chicken, diced
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced (1/4" - 1/2")
  • 2 green bell peppers, diced (1/4" - 1/2")
  • 2 small onions, diced (1/4" - 1/2")
  • 2-3 stalks celery, diced (1/4" - 1/2")

Dressing: 

  • 2 cups combined of Greek yogurt, sour cream, and/or mayonnaise. I used 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup sour cream the last couple of times I made it. 
  • 3 Tbsp mustard. Use a spicy or Creole mustard if you can; I've been using Mike's Hot Honey Dijon. 
  • 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning like Tony Chachere. If you want to control the sodium, there are tons of recipes for making your own. 
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions: 

1. Cook the pasta. Drain but don't rinse, then refrigerate until cold. 
2. In a large pan, and working in batches, brown the sliced sausage, 3-5 minutes per batch. Add the sausage to the pasta to chill. Add the diced ham as well. 
3. In the same pan, and working in batches, brown the chicken, 4-6 minutes per batch or until internal temperature reaches 165. Add the chicken to the pasta to chill. 
3. In the same pan, and working in batches, sauté the vegetables until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes per batch. Add the vegetables to the pasta to chill. 
4. To make the dressing: Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until completely combined. If it's too thick, add 1-2 Tbsp of water to the dressing.
5. Mix the dressing into the pasta salad mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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