Jambalasta or Pastalaya

I LOVE Jambalaya or anything like it, this was kind of like Jambalaya only you use pasta instead of rice so hence the name... and I LOVE Cajun seasoning. You know when you go to Disneyland and they have that place to eat by the Pirates of the Carribean ride, it serves Gumbo, and the air smells soooo good while you are waiting in line and makes you hungry for Cajun food. Well, that's what I was trying to create, that smell. I know, it seems weird to try to create a smell, but I ran across this recipe and thought I would give it a shot. I found the original recipe on Allrecipes.com but I added a few things of my own, and added more seasonings too. This was yummo!! And if you didn't want to use pasta, it would be delicious spooned over hot cooked rice as well. Enjoy!!

Jambalasta or Pastalaya

Ingredients
1 box linguine pasta
2-3  tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt (Tony Chachere's has lots of salt so start with about this much and adjust to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1-2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce
2-3 tablespoons flour
1 pound kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 or 5 leaves fresh basil, or about teaspoon dried basil
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
1.Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the linguine, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally according to package directions. Drain well in a colander; set in the sink.
2. Heat about a Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
3.Heat another Tablespoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion, celery, carrots and bell pepper in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook about another minute.
4.Combine the flour and  dry seasonings together and add to the veggies, cook and stir for about a minute. (if flour sticks to the bottom of the pan too much, add a tablespoon or so of water and de-glaze the pan.
5.Return the chicken to the pan along with the shrimp and kielbasa cook until the shrimp turns slightly pink, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes and hot sauce, scraping up the good stuff from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add your cooked linguine and fresh basil and cook another minute or two until pasta is heated through.Garnish with Parmesan cheese!

Enjoy!
I served mine with sauteed zucchini and crusty french bread !