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Janelle Carss

Dump and Bake Cajun Pasta

Smoky, creamy, spicy, packed with protein, and aggressively low-effort. This vegan Dump and Bake Cajun Pasta takes all the cozy flavours of a jambalaya-inspired Cajun situation and turns them into a one-pan, dump-and-bake dinner that somehow tastes like you worked much harder than you actually did.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Cajun, Canadian
Calories: 425
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Cajun Spice Blend
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 to 1½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cumin
Pasta Bake
  • 4 vegan chorizo-style sausages, sliced sub 12-oz block tofu, cubed
  • 1 - 1½ cups dry soy curls
  • 300 g dry penne pasta sub other small pasta of choice
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 - 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 - 2 bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 - 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp flour OR 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 3 cups unsweetened soy milk sub other plant milk of choice
  • 1½ cups vegetable broth or water
  • 2 - 3 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Place soy curls in a bowl with 1 tsp cajun seasoning blend and cover with hot vegetable broth or water. Mix and let soak for about 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess moisture. This helps them absorb all the smoky Cajun flavour later instead of tasting bland.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  3. In a large skillet, warm 1 tbsp olive oil (or ¼ cup water) and brown the vegan chorizo for 3–4 minutes. Then add onion, celery, bell pepper, and shallot and cook another 4–5 minutes until softened.
  4. Then add the tomato paste and 2–3 tsp Cajun seasoning, and cook 1 more minute.
  5. To the skillet, stir in the soy milk, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, flour or cornstarch. The sauce should look thinner than a normal pasta sauce. That’s intentional—the pasta and soy curls absorb a LOT while baking. Taste and adjust salt/spice levels as you like.
  6. In a large casserole dish, combine the dry pasta, soaked soy curls and sauce mixture. Mix thoroughly so all pasta is submerged as much as possible, then cover tightly with foil.
  7. Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove foil and stir well. If it looks dry, add a splash of broth or soy milk. Let sit 5–10 minutes before serving so the sauce can thicken and cling to the pasta properly.
    8. TIP: Don’t panic if it looks soupy! Fresh out of the oven, the sauce will seem loose. But after five minutes or so it will thicken up to creamy perfection and the pasta and soy curls continue absorbing liquid as it rests.
    TIP: Want it even creamier? Stir in vegan cream cheese, blended silken tofu or extra nutritional yeast right after baking.