Cheesy Cajun Chicken Pasta Bowl
Blackened chicken, a real cheese sauce, half the carbs.
Comfort-Bowl Lore
Creamy, cheesy Cajun pasta topped with blackened chicken — high-protein comfort food you'll actually look forward to repeating all week. The cheese sauce is a lean blend that still blends up velvety, and the pasta is Carbe Diem, which is where the carbs quietly get cut. (Converted from an external meal-prep card — brand names stripped, numbers re-run leaner.)
Portion Matrix (Cooked Blackened Chicken — pasta & sauce as add-ons)
Cheesy Cajun Chicken Pasta Bowl
Tap a portion size. Watch the numbers move. That’s the whole book.
Per serving adds: Carbe Diem ~110 cal / ~16g net carb per 2 oz dry • Cajun cheese sauce ~140 cal (part-skim mozz, light wedge, parmesan, stock, almond milk) • peppers & onion ~25 cal
Macros: USDA FoodData Central (chicken, peppers, onion) + label data (Carbe Diem, part-skim mozzarella, light cheese wedge, parmesan, almond milk) • cooked weights.
The Numbers Up Front
Total Cooked Yield: ~5 oz / 140 g cooked chicken + pasta and cheese sauce
Default Portion: 1 serving — 5 oz / 140 g chicken on 2 oz Carbe Diem
✂️ Trim Trim Trim
This one starts fairly lean and gets leaner. The cheese sauce leans on part-skim mozzarella, a light spreadable wedge, and a little parmesan melted into fat-free stock and unsweetened almond milk — creamy without the cream. Swapping the fusilli for Carbe Diem takes the pasta from ~200 cal / 40g net carb to ~110 cal / 16g net carb, and the chicken is blackened in a sprayed pan.
Ingredients
Use-what-you’ve-got friendly.
Sorted by dish, with the spices you probably already own kept separate.
Chicken
- ◆5 oz / 140 g blackened chicken strips (or chicken breast + Cajun seasoning)
- ◆0-cal olive oil spray
Pasta + Veg
- ◆2 oz / 56 g Carbe Diem pasta (uncooked)
- ◆a few mini sweet peppers, diced • ¼ sweet onion, chopped
Creamy Cajun Cheese Sauce
- ◆1 oz part-skim mozzarella, shredded • 1 light spreadable cheese wedge • 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- ◆¼ cup fat-free vegetable stock • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ◆1 tsp Cajun seasoning • ½ tsp each onion powder, garlic powder • black pepper
To Finish
- ◆Fresh parsley • a little extra parmesan
Instructions
- 1
Cook the Carbe Diem pasta to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- 2
Cook the blackened chicken in a sprayed pan (or air-fry, 400°F, 10–11 min). Rest, then slice.
- 3
Blend mozzarella, spreadable wedge, parmesan, stock, almond milk, and all the seasonings until smooth and creamy.
- 4
Return the pasta to the pot with diced peppers and onion. Pour in the cheese sauce and stir over low heat until it thickens and coats the pasta.
- 5
Portion the pasta, top each with sliced blackened chicken, a sprinkle of parmesan, and parsley.
🧠 Why This Works
Cheese sauce doesn't need heavy cream to be creamy — melt part-skim mozzarella and a light spreadable wedge into stock and almond milk and it blends up glossy and rich, with parmesan and Cajun seasoning carrying the flavor. Carbe Diem removes most of the pasta's calories and net carbs, and blackened chicken keeps the protein high. Comfort-food creamy, meal-prep numbers.
🌶️ Flavor Boosters
Extra Cajun seasoning or cayenne • red pepper flakes • a squeeze of lemon • blistered cherry tomatoes • more parmesan
🔄 Use What You’ve Got
- —No Carbe Diem? Any high-protein or chickpea pasta lowers carbs; regular pasta works, macros climb
- —Blackened strips → chicken breast seasoned with Cajun, or shrimp
- —No almond milk? Nonfat milk works in the sauce
- —Part-skim mozz → any low-fat melting cheese you've got
📦 Meal Prep Notes
Portions into four 3–4 day containers • Add a splash of almond milk when reheating to loosen the sauce • Keep it gentle on reheat so the cheese sauce stays smooth
🥗 BOWL BUILD (top-down)
1. Base: 2 oz Carbe Diem tossed in Cajun cheese sauce with peppers and onion
2. Protein: 5 oz / 140 g blackened chicken, sliced
3. Finish: parmesan, parsley, cracked pepper
Full bowl (as built): ~525 cal • 63g protein • 14g fat • 50g carbs (≈30g net)
📊 Before & After(per serving)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Cajun Chicken Mac | 950 | 45g | 48g | 82g |
| ⭐ Cheesy Cajun Chicken Pasta Bowl | 525 | 63g | 14g | 50g (≈30 net) |
| You Saved / Gained | −425 cal | +18g protein | −34g fat | −32g carbs |
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