Recipes - Creamy Cajun Pasta with Blackened Chickpeas

Servings: 4

Ingredients
BLACKENED CHICKPEAS:

15.5 ounce can chickpeas
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Spice Krewe Bayou Burn


CREAMY CAJUN SAUCE:
3 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped small
3 celery stalks, diced small
1 green bell pepper, diced small
¼ cup green onions, chopped
½ cup tomatoes, chopped small
½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. Spice Krewe Bayou Burn
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
½ cup heavy cream
8 ounces rotini pasta
Salt and black pepper , to taste

Steps


BLACKENED CHICKPEAS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  2. Toss chickpeas with olive oil and Spice Krewe Bayou Burn.
  3. Spread out on a baking sheet.
  4. Cook in a 350° F oven for 20 minutes, moving them at least once while cooking.

COOK THE PASTA:

  1. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the directions on the package.
  2. When cooked, drain well and hold until the sauce is ready.

MAKE CAJUN ALFREDO SAUCE:

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter. Sauté onion and bell pepper in melted butter for about 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
  2. Add flour and Spice Krewe Bayou Burn, and stir until bubbly. If mixture is extremely thick, just stir and cook about 1 minute.
  3. While whisking, slowly add broth.
  4. Bring to a boil and boil one minute.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Add heavy cream and stir until combined.
  7. Cook for five minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally; and to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Add the pasta and cook until heated through.
  9. Serve up topped with blackened chickpeas and garnish with chopped parsley and chopped tomatoes.

Notes
Used canned or well cooked chickpeas for the blackened chickpeas. A softer chickpea at the start makes sure the chickpeas are a little crunchy on the outside but creamy on the inside.
Adjust the Spice Krewe Bayou Burn to your taste. If you like your pasta really spicy, you can sprinkle more Spice Krewe Bayou Burn over the top or add some hot sauce.
Boil the pasta only to al dente so it has a little bite. When you mix it in with the cajun pasta sauce, it will cook a little bit more.
Stir the chickpeas at least once while they are cooking in the oven so they cook evenly and get crispy on all sides.