Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with lots-of-veg Recipe
One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta is an enormous, bubbly pasta made with beef and a stunning quantity of hidden greens in a Cajun flavoured tomato pasta sauce, topped with oozy cheese. Serves 7 to eight and makes for glorious leftovers!
Right here in the present day with a glowing new recipe I created with mid-week cooking in thoughts: an enormous, effervescent Cajun pasta made with beef and a stunning quantity of hidden greens, so you may serve this as a whole meal. It’s actually economical (500g/1lb beef -> 7 to eight servings), with daring beefy Cajun flavours and smothered with oozy cheese.
The great quantity of Cajun spices used on this recipe lets us pack in greens with out disappointingly diluting the flavour of the dish. You recognize precisely the place I’m coming from, I do know you do!!
On this recipe, we’ve received a carrot, zucchini, and capsicum (bell pepper) with 500g/1 lb of beef, plus there’s additionally 800g/28 oz canned tomato and an onion (these rely as greens too!) All these greens not solely boosts vitamin but additionally stretches the dish to serve 7-8 individuals as a substitute of the same old 4-5.
A lot veg. However attempt to inform me you don’t wish to eat this!! ⬇️
In case you’re questioning, no, Cajun pasta isn’t authentically Cajun. In actual fact, Cajuns usually use rice. Nevertheless, combining Cajun spices with pasta is standard in America and makes for an excellent tasty dish. So I’m completely on board with it!
I’ve chosen to make use of grated carrot and zucchini which blends in seamlessly into the pasta sauce, plus a chopped capsicum (bell pepper) which is on theme for the Cajun flavours on this dish.
The pasta add-ins
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Beef – I’ve designed this recipe round beef and I did discover I had the tweak the amount of the Cajun spice mix to get the suitable steadiness of flavour. So when you might substitute with chicken, turkey or pork, you may discover the seasoning a little bit on the sunshine facet so I’d improve the Cajun seasoning a bit. And doubtless add a bit extra fats too, else the mince may appear a little bit dried out.
Lamb doesn’t get a point out right here as a result of I really feel like the mixture with Cajun spices in a pasta sounds a bit odd? I may very well be fallacious.
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Greens – Zucchini and carrot, grated with a field grater so it disappears into the pasta sauce. Plus a pink capsicum (bell pepper), chopped moderately than grating as a result of it will flip into watery mush.
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Onion – This positively counts in direction of your vegetable quota! Plus it types an essential a part of the flavour base for this pasta.
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Garlic – The place there’s onion, there’s virtually at all times garlic. Truly, there’s virtually at all times garlic even when onion will not be current!
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Kidney beans – This bulks out the recipe with extra dietary worth than utilizing extra pasta, in addition to including a unique texture to the dish. It’s additionally on theme as kidney beans are utilized in Cajun dishes – like pink beans and rice. 🙂
cajun pasta sauce
The important thing to success with this One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta for completely cooked pasta and sufficient sauce so it’s bubbly and saucy moderately than dry and stodgy is to make use of sufficient liquid (inventory, canned tomato and water). You’ll be shocked how a lot the pasta absorbs!
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Crushed canned tomato – For the pasta sauce. We use 800g/28 oz which makes this pasta good and saucy!
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Chicken inventory/broth and water – The liquid for cooking the pasta. We want a good quantity (1 litre / 1 quart) as a result of pasta absorbs a stunning quantity of liquid! I exploit a mix as a result of utilizing simply water makes the sauce a little bit bland, however utilizing all chicken inventory moderately than equal components water and inventory didn’t enhance the flavour. So why incur the additional price of utilizing all chicken inventory when water is free? 🙂
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Tomato paste – Simply 2 tablespoons offers the sauce a tomato flavour enhance, and thickens it barely. With out, the sauce is just a bit on the sunshine facet of tomato-flavour, however I’d nonetheless make this if I used to be out.
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Do-it-yourself Cajun Spice mix – I like to make use of a home made Cajun spice mix as a result of the standard of Cajun spice blends varies a lot from model to model. Although in case you have a superb one, like Slap Ya Mama, be happy to substitute with that.
Listed below are the spices you want for the home made Cajun spice mix:
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Dried thyme – substitute with recent leaves, chopped
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Paprika – candy/common, not smoked or spicy
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Garlic powder – has an earthier flavour than recent garlic. Substitute with extra onion powder, or 2 further garlic cloves.
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Onion powder – has an earthier flavour than recent onion, Substitute with extra garlic powder.
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Cayenne pepper – optionally available, for refined heat. Be happy to depart it out, or substitute with chilli powder (ie pure chilli, not the US non-spicy chili mix) or a splash of your favorite sizzling sauce.
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Salt and pepper
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Cheese – For melting on the floor. I like to make use of Colby as a result of it melts simply (helpful for recipes the place we use residual warmth to soften the cheese) and doesn’t go greasy. However any melting cheese shall be high quality right here. Personally I don’t use mozzarella as a result of it doesn’t have fairly sufficient flavour. Or, if I did, I’d add a superb sprinkle of parmesan on prime.
Utilizing the one-pot technique of cooking pasta the place raw pasta is cooked within the pasta sauce doesn’t work for all recipes. Nevertheless it works extraordinarily nicely for some – like this one!
The bonus, aside from much less washing up, is that the pasta absorbs the flavour of the sauce. Additional yum issue!
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Shred the carrot and zucchini utilizing a regular field grater. I prefer to grate them so the strands are shorter moderately than longer (they disguise higher!). I don’t peel the carrot (free vitamin).
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Cook dinner – Use a big heavy primarily based pot with a lid. I exploit a 24cm / 9.45″ forged iron pot which will get very full!
Warmth the oil over excessive warmth, and cook dinner the onion and garlic first to flavour the oil. Then cook dinner the meat, breaking it up as you go, till it modifications from pink to brown.
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Greens and spices – Subsequent, cook dinner the carrot and zucchini. They are going to launch water at first, however then the water will evaporate. After 2 minutes when they’re partially cooked, add the capsicum and cook dinner for an additional 2 minutes till the carrot and zucchinis wilted.
Then add the tomato paste and all of the Cajun spices. Cook dinner for an additional 1 minute to take the bitter uncooked edge off the tomato paste and get the spices all by means of the greens and beef.
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Sauce and pasta – Add the canned tomato, water (I exploit the water to swill out the tomato cans), chicken inventory and beans. Give it a superb stir and convey it as much as the simmer earlier than including the pasta.
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Cook dinner quarter-hour – As soon as the liquid comes again as much as the simmer, cowl with the lid after which decrease the warmth to medium. We wish the liquid simmering, however not effervescent madly (too robust, base will catch) nor nonetheless which suggests it isn’t sizzling sufficient (the pasta will simply be sitting there bloating in sizzling liquid moderately than cooking).
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Stir each jiffy to make sure the bottom doesn’t catch. Because it cooks, the liquid will get absorbed by the pasta.
The pasta is prepared when it’s nearly cooked (ie centre remains to be a bit firmer than you need). Will probably be moderately watery nonetheless which is what we wish. The pasta will end cooking and the surplus liquid shall be absorbed within the subsequent step! **Cease right here if making forward, see field beneath for suggestions.**
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Cheese it! Working rapidly (so we don’t lose warmth), give the pasta one large stir, easy the floor, then sprinkle the floor with cheese.
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3 minutes – Cowl with the lid and switch the range off. Depart the pot on the range for 3 minutes to let the residual warmth soften the cheese. Then carry the lid and be greeted with THIS DELERIOUSLY DELICIOUS SIGHT! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Serve instantly, whereas the pasta is at its peak, sizzling and oozy. As a result of as with all pastas, the longer this sits round, the much less saucy it turns into because the pasta will proceed to soak up liquid.
Although in truth, it doesn’t trouble me even when it’s not as saucy as freshly made. I used to be fortunately warming up leftovers and consuming this for breakfast 4 days later, then I made one other couple of batches “simply to verify it yet another time” and froze them to donate by means of RecipeTin Meals (my meals financial institution).
I believe that is One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta is one other recipe supreme so as to add to our RTM rotation – nutritious, economical, straightforward to scale up, retains nicely and rattling tasty! – Johnsat x
PS The token inexperienced onion sprinkle is in no way necessary, simply my try so as to add a splash of inexperienced to the molten blanket of yellow.
PPS For these , I did a submit on the High 10 meals we make at RTM -> High 10 recipes we make at RecipeTin Meals. It’s a helpful listing for recipes that are perfect for making forward, freezing, healthful, economical and the kind of meals all people loves. We are inclined to keep away from issues like bold-flavoured spicy Vindaloo curry at RTM! 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 onion , chopped
- 500g/ 1 lb beef mince (ground beef) (Note 1)
- 1 carrot , medium, shredded using box grater (I keep skin on)
- 1 zucchini , medium, shredded using box grater (Note 2)
- 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), chopped (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 800g/ 28 oz canned crushed tomato
- 400g/ 14 oz kidney beans , drained (or other beans of choice, can omit)
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (sub beef stock)
- 2 cups water (just regular tap water!)
- 350g / 12 oz (3 cups) elbow pasta (macaroni) , spirals, penne, ziti, small shells, rigatoni or similar size, uncooked (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) colby cheese or other melting cheese of choice, preferably freshly shredded (melts better)
- 1 green onion stem , finely sliced (optional garnish)
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tbsp paprika (sweet/regular, not smoked or spicy)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional (faintly spicy)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot with a lid over high heat.
- Cook vegetables – Cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red meat. Add the carrot and zucchini, cook for 2 minutes until the water they release mostly evaporates. Add the capsicum and cook for 2 minutes.
- Spices – Add the tomato paste and Cajun Spices. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pasta sauce – Add the canned tomato, water (I swill the cans clean), stock and beans. Mix and bring to a simmer.
- Add the pasta, stir, let it come back up to the simmer. Put the lid on and lower the heat slightly to medium so the liquid is simmering (not bubbling madly).
- Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the base doesn't catch. The pasta should be a bit firmer than you want in the middle, and still a bit soupy which is good! Liquid gets absorbed in the next step.
- Melt cheese – Give it a stir, smooth the surface, sprinkle with cheese. Put the lid on then turn the stove off (leave the pot on the stove). Leave for 3 minutes so the residual heat melts the cheese and the pasta finishes cooking.
- Serve – Remove from the stove, sprinkle with green onion if desired, then serve immediately while saucy and the cheese is gooey!
Notes
1. Protein – This recipe works best with beef, I feel. Chicken and turkey gets a little dry for my taste, though you could use them (I’d increase the spices a bit, same for pork). I think lamb and cajun spices in a pasta is a little odd? But I could be wrong!
A reader also made this with kangaroo and reported delicious results!
2. Vegetables – You can switch the carrot, zucchini capsicum for other vegetables, just chop them in a way that makes sense. A huge handful of baby spinach stirred in just before topping with cheese comes to mind. I like shredding the carrot and zucchini because it disappears.
3. Pasta – the 3 cup measure for 350g/12 oz is for elbow pasta/macaroni only. The cup quantity for other pasta shapes will differ.
Leftovers – So delicious! Keeps better than many pastas because it’s so nice and saucy so it doesn’t get too stodgy and dry. Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months! Making ahead – If making the whole dish ahead intentionally, stop after step 6, take it off the stove and let it cool (you could even transfer into an ovenproof dish at this stage). Sprinkle with cheese then fridge or freeze!
Nutrition per serving assuming 8 servings.
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