I’m always on the hunt for new recipes to add to our weekly menu board. Our life seems to have gotten 10 times busier with Eden in grade 7. It seems like she has homework most evenings and weekends and although she is a good student, she didn’t really have any experience with homework, studying or project work from elementary school and the adjustment to managing the work load has been pretty huge for her. We are trying to support her and coach her through the changes, but it has been a very loooooong September. As the “homework cop”, I feel like I’m in grade 7 as well!
With our crazy busy schedule and the homework, new menu items needs to meet the following criteria:
- healthy
- quick
- easy
- stamp of approval from all 4 members of the family
We all love shrimp, but I really didn’t have a “recipe” that I followed when cooking it. I generally put it out for fondu nights, but rarely made a regular meal with it. I decided to look for a shrimp/pasta dish that would be both delicious and easy to prepare. I lucked out on the first one I found and I’ve already made it twice in the last two weeks. All I have to do is take the shrimp out of the freezer for the kids to be buzzing with excitement over the pending dinner. They love this and so do I ~ you can’t beat the 10 minute prep. time and I always have the ingredients on hand. All you have to do is keep of bag of shrimp in the freezer and you’re set to go! This recipe meets all of the criteria and is a new staple on our menu.
Garlic Shrimp Pasta
This recipe was found on Food.com and was submitted by Jessica K. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. medium shrimp, deveined and tails removed
- 1 lb. spaghetti (depending on # of people you’re serving)
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup of butter (I use 1/2 cup)
- olive oil (3 drizzles)
- Italian seasoning
- fresh ground pepper
- salt
- red pepper flakes
Directions:
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Boil the spaghetti in water till tender, save 1 cup of pasta water for use later. (Jessica suggests adding oil, salt, and fresh herbs to the pasta water as it boils. I had parsley on hand and added some to the water. I’m guessing basil, oregano or parsley would be good. I had never heard of adding herbs to the water, but thought it was a great idea.)
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Cook to “al dente”. Drain (reserving 1 cup of water) and set aside when done.
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While pasta is boiling, wash the shrimp.
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Melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat. Add shrimp.
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Let cook till a little pink and starting to curl. (My shrimp is generally kept frozen. Although I thaw it out prior, I still find that it really waters down the butter during the initial cooking. I actually drained the liquid off the shrimp at this point and added another 1/4 cup of butter to ensure it wasn’t watered down.)
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Then add garlic.
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Cook 5-7 minutes and add oil. Continue to stir till shrimp is pink and curled.
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Add pasta and seasonings to the skillet. Add just enough saved pasta water to keep the pasta moist, but not swimming in liquid either. Depending on the amount of pasta this may only require 1/2 the cup or all of it. Start with adding 1/4 of it then work up from there.
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Keep tossing all ingredients around in skillet till all is incorporated and hot.
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Serve with red pepper flakes and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
This pasta dish is very tasty and when served with a salad, makes a great meal!
