Cheddars New Orleans Pasta is a favorite Cajun-style pasta dish. It is so easy to make, and you can put together this dish at home. It’s the perfect way to feed a large gathering.
If you have never been to Cheddar’s, the restaurant is amazing. They do scratch cooking, and their food is such a great value.
It’s the perfect place to go out with a gathering of friends or even to take the whole family. Their menu is diverse, you can find something for everyone at Cheddars.
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New Orleans Pasta
One of the most-loved dishes is the Cheddars New Orleans Pasta. This pasta dish is a medley of flavors, shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage, peppers, onions, and penne pasta tossed in homemade Cajun Alfredo sauce.
This complex tasting dish is perfect for a weeknight dinner, as it can really feed a crowd of people. You may even want to pair this pasta dish with garlic bread for the restaurant experience.
This recipe features a spicy homemade Alfredo sauce, and it has sausage, chicken, shrimp, and an assortment of fresh vegetables.
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Chicken breast
- Italian dressing
- Penne pasta
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Heavy cream
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Shredded mozzarella
- Salsa
- Smoked sausage
- Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
- Shrimp (medium-sized) peeled and deveined
- Green bell pepper
- White onion
How to Make New Orleans Pasta
- Marinate chicken for about an hour in the Italian dressing then discard the marinade.
- Cook pasta according to box directions.
- Melt butter in a large pot.
- Add flour, stir, and cook for about 1 minute or until the roux begins to smell nutty.
- Add cream, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, and salsa. Stir to combine.
- Once the sauce thickens, reduce heat to simmer.
- Add oil into a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook chicken for 5 to 7 minutes on both sides, or until done.
- Remove chicken from the skillet.
- Add the sliced sausage to the skillet and sear. Remove sausage and wipe out skillet.
- Sprinkle Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning on the shrimp.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook shrimp just until pink.
- Remove shrimp from the skillet.
- Add oil to the skillet if necessary and sauté onion and green bell pepper until tender.
Recipe Notes
You could modify the recipe by omitting shrimp and simply add additional sausage or chicken.
If you didn’t want to make the Alfredo sauce from scratch you could use a jar of Alfredo sauce. It’s completely up to you.
This dish reheats well the second day so it is perfect to bring to lunch if you desire.
Love Cheddar’s? Try these copycat recipes!
Popular Cajun and Creole Recipes
Favorite Pasta Recipes
Be sure to check out more of my easy pasta recipes and the best restaurant copycat recipes here on CopyKat.com!
Cheddars New Orleans Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup Italian dressing
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 4 ounces butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
- 8 ounces smoked sausage sliced
- 8 ounces shrimp (medium sized) peeled and deveined
- 1 sliced green bell pepper
- 1 white onion, sliced
Instructions
- Marinate chicken for about 1 hour in the Italian dressing. Discard the marinade after the marinate has completed.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- In a large pot, heat butter. When the butter melts add the flour. Stir and cook for about 1 minute or until the roux begins to smell nutty.
- Add cream, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, and salsa. Stir to combine, and once the sauce thickens simmer until the sauce is needed.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken for 5 to 7 minutes, or until done. Remove chicken from the skillet.
- Add sliced sausage to the skillet and sear. Remove sausage and wipe out the skillet.
- Sprinkle Tony Chachere seasoning on the shrimp.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook shrimp just until pink. Remove shrimp from the skillet.
- Add oil to the skillet if necessary and sauté onion and green bell pepper until the vegetables are tender.
- To assemble, combine pasta, meats, cooked vegetables with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Lola The Cook
I love this entree every time we eat at Cheddars i order it. I did really thought it is very complex to make.
I tried cooking it with jar of Alfredo Sauce. Next time, I’ ll try making it from scratch.
Outstanding!
Ashley
Can the recipe be doubled?
Stephanie
Yes
Judy Edwards
Can I just use jar Alfredo sauce and add roasted red pepper soup it instead of the parmesan cheese creamer and salsa?
Stephanie
I think that would work, it may not taste exactly the same.
Pattyy
What kind of salsa should i use it doesnt say what kind
Stephanie
I used Pace picante for this.
Timothy Bond
This is one if my favorite recipes! My families go to for get togethers! Thank you for sharing ❤️
The Book of Food
That sounds wonderful, I’m trying it tomorrow !
Nikki
What can I substitute for the shrimp? Unfortunately I’m allergic to shrimp but I can eat other shellfish, go figure!
Stephanie
I would just leave it out. You could add more sausage.
Nikki
Thanks, maybe I’ll use 2 types of sausage instead!
Webmaster supreme
I loved this!
SamT
This was good! My family didn’t believe me when I said I made it.
Houstonfit
I really enjoyed this dish, my kids finally cleaned their plates.
alfred antinori
This is delicious! I will prepare this evening for my partner. Thank you very much
francesco caselli
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! i love it
Leslie
PLEASE note the serving size for the nutrition information. I count carbs, and need to know what is the serving size; stating “per serving” is so inexact!!!
Thank you.
Stephanie
I appreciate this, but this the recipe makes 6 servings, a thought could be to divide the final recipe into six equal portions. In the meantime, I will see if I can get the template redesigned, to allow for this to be put in. I understand it would make it much more helpful for someone. I appreciate your comment.
Recipe Lover
wow, this dish looks delicious, i also want to try it, thank you for sharing the way.
Mary
I tried this recipe last night and was delighted as everything that went into it sounded great!
Stephanie
So glad to hear this.
Lesa
Do you mean tony Chachere seasoning? When I goggled tony Chassare I only got a singer????
Stephanie
It is a brand of seasoning, it’s fairly common.
Nancy
Where do you buyTony Chassare Seasoning? Is there something else that’s similar?
Baltisraul
Tony’s is seen in almost every store in the South but you can buy it on-line. (try his dry roux mix, outstanding). Also look for Chef Paul Prudhomme’s brand or Zaterain’s brand. They will also pass muster!
Jane
You can usually find this seasoning where the spices are in your larger grocery stores. I find it below the regular spices where the one of a kind spices are and seasoned salts and peppers are.
Sandy
Basically it’s a Cajun seasoning
Hady Kayed
This sounds so good and definitely a keeper. To bad we are invited out to dinner tonight otherwise it would been on the dinner table this evening.
A silly question in the meantime, the Italian dressing is discarded upon completion of the marinate?
Baltisraul
You always throw out the marinade after using unless you put it in a pot bring to a boil and simmer 10-15 min. Raw chicken juice in the Italian dressing is a recipe for getting really sick!
Stephanie
You are a braver man than I am, I generally toss the excess marinade. I believe that it works, I am more cautious in recipes that I write for others ;).
Baltisraul
Cheese Gumbo Pasta……..BRILLANT…….. If we didn’t have the whole Memorial Day menu planned, this would be on the table. Be sure we will make this next weekend. Let you know!
Sue
Where does the 1 cup of Italian dressing come in?
Christine
You marinate the chicken with the Italian dressing for about an hour before cooking in the pot.
AdmissionBlock
Looks absolutely delicious can’t wait to try it myself!
Keep up the great work.