Creamy Cajun "Chicken" Pasta

This creamy Cajun pasta is so comforting! It’s creamy and full of flavour. 

You can keep this dish simple with just the pasta and the sauce, or you could add a delicious meat-free chicken alternative like I have. This also boosts the amount of protein in this dish if you choose to! You can find a couple of really great chicken alternatives from brands such as Vivera and The Vegetarian Butcher (two of my favourites!)

I used Alpro single soya cream in this recipe as I find it's not too thick, but it helps to make the most perfect sauce!

- CREAMY CAJUN "CHICKEN" PASTA -

Serves: 2
You will need:

- 150g rigatoni pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 vegan chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper
- A large handful of cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 150ml soya cream
- A large handful of fresh parsley

Method:

1. Boil the pasta in some salted water.
2. Dice the garlic cloves, chop the red pepper and parsley into small pieces and slice the tomatoes in half. Set aside.
3. While the pasta is cooking, pour 1tbsp olive oil into a griddle pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the vegan chicken along with two of the chopped garlic cloves and 1 tbsp of the Cajun seasoning. Cook your “chicken” according to packet instructions (mine took around 12 minutes).
4. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan on medium-low heat.
5. Add the 2 remaining chopped garlic cloves to the dish, along with the red pepper and tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes before adding the rest of the Cajun seasoning and tomato puree.
6. Pour in the soya cream and mix everything together. Simmer until your pasta and “chicken” are ready.
7. Once the pasta is ready, add a splash of the pasta water to the pan and mix it into the sauce.
8. Drain the pasta and pour it into the dish.
9. Mix in a large handful of the parsley.
10. Serve the pasta between two bowls, top with the vegan chicken and any remaining parsley.

Enjoy!