Is Cajun pasta spicy?

It can be spicy, yes. Not like SUPER spicy, but spicy is a subjective term. It all depends on your tastes and tolerance.

How do I make it more or less spicy?

To make your vegan Cajun pasta MORE spicy, you can simply add a bit more cayenne pepper to your Cajun seasoning or directly to the pasta and give it a really good stir. If you’d like it to be LESS spicy, make your own Cajun seasoning and use less cayenne pepper (or none).

How to serve vegan Cajun pasta?

I highly recommend serving this along with some sort of plant based protein, either mixed in or not. I often make this with Cajun seasoning crusted soy curls or seitan chicken . It would also be great with my homemade vegan sausage or some store bought vegan sausages. Other proteins include: crispy tofu , panko tofu , baked tofu, air fried tofu, tempeh, chickpeas or white beans, or store bought vegan chicken alternatives. You can also serve it with some crusty bread and more veggies if you want, like a side of steamed or roasted broccoli (my favorite).

Creamy Vegan Cajun Pasta

Name: Vegan Cajun Pasta
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 small sweet or yellow onion, quartered and sliced; 2-3 medium bell peppers (any color), quartered and sliced; 1-3 tsp Cajun seasoning, to taste (see note 1); 1-14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (or regular tomatoes); 3 cups vegan chicken or vegetable broth (see note 2); 1 pound pasta of choice (use gluten-free if needed) (see note 3); 4-6 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated; ½ cup - ¾ cup coconut milk / cashew cream / sunflower seed cream, optional; Seitan chicken, vegan sausage, soy curls, or other (see note 4)

Description

Creamy, spicy, and flavorful, this Vegan Cajun Pasta may just be your new favorite dinner. Enjoy on its own or top it with your favorite plant based protein.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 small sweet or yellow onion, quartered and sliced
2-3 medium bell peppers (any color), quartered and sliced
1-3 tsp Cajun seasoning, to taste (see note 1)
1-14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (or regular tomatoes)
3 cups vegan chicken or vegetable broth (see note 2)
1 pound pasta of choice (use gluten-free if needed) (see note 3)
4-6 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup coconut milk / cashew cream / sunflower seed cream, optional

Optional protein:

Seitan chicken, vegan sausage, soy curls, or other (see note 4)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Saute onions: In a large nonstick pot over medium high heat, start sauteing your onion. You can use oil for this or just water or broth if you are oil-free. Saute the onions until they become translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Cook peppers: Throw in the peppers and half of the cajun seasoning and saute for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes: Next add the fire roasted tomatoes. Stir well, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add pasta and broth: Now add the pasta and broth.
Cook covered on medium heat: Give it a thorough stir, turn the heat down to medium, and cover. Cook for 6 - 10 minutes, stirring frequently and ensuring there is enough liquid. Add a little only if all the liquid gets soaked up. Every pasta is different, so it’s good to have a little on reserve. Note if you run out liquid again you can just add a little water until there’s just enough to keep the dish moist.
Season: Once the pasta is fully cooked, add the white parts of the green onion and remaining Cajun seasoning. Give it a really good stir, taste it, and adjust any seasonings if needed. If you removed the peppers and onions earlier, add them back now. Let everything come to heat, about 1-2 minutes.
Make it creamy: Pour in the coconut milk / cashew cream / sunflower seed cream, stir well, and add the green parts of the green onion.
Serve vegan Cajun pasta with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan (try my vegan Parmesan topping) or more green onions, and if you’d like, serve it with a plant based protein.
Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container 3-5 days.

Notes

Note 1: Use as much or as little Cajun seasoning as you like. I personally used about 3 teaspoons which was enough considering I also crusted my vegan chicken in it. Try making your own Cajun seasoning, if you’d like. I always do so I can customize the spice level.
Note 2: Instead of cooking the pasta in water, I cooked it in broth which is great, because we’re not draining it so all that flavor is going directly into the pasta. I used vegan chicken broth as opposed to veggie broth here for the flavor. I personally love Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base (and mix it with hot water) as it keeps better and is more economical than carton vegan chicken broth. You can absolutely use prepared vegan chicken broth or even just vegetable broth though!
Note 3: You can use any pasta you like. If you’re gluten-free, use a good gluten-free pasta you’ve cooked with before. I hear good things about this brown rice pasta. Bean-based pastas like Banza are also a good choice. Since this is a one pot pasta, and we’re not going to drain it, I recommend using a short pasta like penne or rotini as opposed to spaghetti.
Note 4: Possible proteins include seitan chicken, vegan sausage (store bought or I have a recipe for some delicious vegan sausages), tofu, soy curls, chickpeas, or a store-bought vegan chicken.

Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Entree
Method: Stove top
Cuisine: American, New Orleans

Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Can Be Gluten-Free, Vegan Cajun Pasta