Slow Cooker Jambalaya Pasta
This Slow Cooker Jambalaya Pasta is loaded with flavor, not work. Chicken, smoked sausage, shrimp, veggies, a deeply flavored broth, and pasta are cooked in the slow cooker to make a classic that’s so much easier than the original.
We tried jambalaya a few years back when we had dinner with a friend from Louisiana. It was so good that we immediately asked for the recipe. We tweaked it just a bit to make it slow cooker-friendly, and the rest, as they say, is history. We’ve been making this for years, and everyone always loves it.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses just a handful of simple, basic ingredients.
- It’s an easy slow cooker recipe that requires minimal effort.
- It’s loaded with all the authentic Cajun flavors we love about jambalaya.
- It’s perfect for dinner or for parties and potlucks.
🛒Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are all kitchen staples found in your refrigerator, pantry, or grocery store. We’ve listed them all here, but you can find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Chicken tenderloins
- Smoked sausage
- Celery – diced
- Garlic – minced
- Frozen peppers and onions
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Cajun seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Shrimp – peeled and deveined
- Cream
- Bowtie pasta
🔪 How to Make Slow Cooker Jambalaya Pasta
This is a slow cooker recipe, so you know it’s going to be easy! In just a few minutes, you’ll have everything set up and cooking away. Then, all you have to do is wait.
Step 1: Mix the Ingredients
Add everything except the shrimp, cream, and pasta to your slow cooker. Mix.
Step 2: Cook
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Step 3: Add the Shrimp
About 30 minutes before serving, add the shrimp to the slow cooker.
Step 4: Make the Pasta
Boil the pasta according to the package directions.
Step 5: Add Cream
Add the cooked pasta and cream to the slow cooker, stir, and serve.
📝Variations
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
- Seafood: Use crab, lobster, or prawns in place of shrimp if you prefer.
- Smoked Sausage: Althou andouie is the classic sausage for this dish, any smoked sausage will work well.
If you think this recipe sounds good, we think you’ll enjoy our potatoes and smoked sausage bake.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Slow cooker
- Large pot
- Strainer
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate this dish for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, freeze it for up to a month in an air-tight, freezer-safe container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
To reheat the jambalaya, place it in a pot or saucepan with a bit of water and cook on medium-low until heated through.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Jambalaya Pasta
Serve this delicious jambalaya pasta with cornbread, crusty bread and butter, or garlic bread. You can also pair it with a salad or vegetables.
💭 Tips
- Be sure you cook your pasta to al dente and no further. You don’t want it to fall apart when you mix it with the other ingredients.
- It’s best to cook this on low so the flavors have plenty of time to meld.
- Keep an eye on your shrimp after adding them to the crock pot, as heat levels vary from crock pot to crock pot.
- The shrimp is done when it’s pink and C-shaped, NOT O-shaped.
⁉️ FAQ
Jambalaya is a Creole dish with a name that literally translates to “mixed up”. That’s the perfect name for it, as it consists of a variety of ingredients and African, Spanish, and French flavor influences.
Jambalaya pasta is a twist on classic jambalaya that replaces rice with pasta.
If you don’t add enough liquid initially, or you don’t cook the jambalaya with the lid on, it can dry out rapidly.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy slow cooker recipes? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya Pasta
Equipment
- slow cooker
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins cut into bite size pieces
- 14 ounces smoked sausage cut into bite size pieces
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 20 ounces frozen peppers and onions
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ tablespoons cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 12 ounces large peeled and deveined shrimp
- ½ cup cream
- 16 ounces bowtie pasta cooked to box directions
Instructions
- Into the slow cooker place the chicken, sausage, celery, garlic, peppers and onions, tomatoes, cajun seasoning and paprika.
- Stir it together and cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
- 30 minutes before serving add your shrimp to the slow cooker and continue cooking.
- Prepare your pasta according to box directions.
- Add the cream and cooked pasta to the slow cooker and serve!
