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Shrimp pasta, and summer go hand in hand. Especially a light pasta dish that satisfies your hunger without making you feel too full. This recipe originally was shared on Pinterest, and is still making the rounds, but I have changed it just a smudge.
Super Easy
This recipe consists of cooking the pasta and shrimp, and mixing together the ingredients for the sauce. Shrimp pasta is so easy, that Todd and I as “chefs” on a weeklong cruise in the Bahamas, made it on the boat! A four cabin catamaran sailboat to be exact, and it was a lot of fun. Talk about impressing your friends with such a simple but gorgeous dish.
First Things First
The first thing I do is get the water boiling, then, I prepare the sauce. I get the oil and lemon into a large bowl, stir it together, and add the capers. I don’t chop the basil until I have added all the ingredients together – this prevents it from wilting and keeps its pretty color. Did you know you can buy Parmesan Cheese at the store and keep it in your fridge? Once I started buying and grating my own Parmesan Cheese, I never went back – there is nothing better than freshly grated cheese in this dish!
Pasta into the Pool
As soon as the water is boiling, I toss in the pasta. Fresh fettuccine is my go-to pasta for this dish, but you can use any other type of pasta you like. Also, a perk to the fresh pasta is that it only takes 4-5 minutes to cook! If I am adding chopped asparagus or spinach, I will toss that in with the pasta when there are a few minutes left to let it cook; the asparagus needs about 4 minutes, while the spinach only takes a minute to wilt.
Have the Shrimp Ready to Cook
Also, I have the cleaned and peeled shrimp seasoned and ready to cook in a hot skillet when there is about 3-4 minutes left for the pasta. Also, do not skip the step of cleaning the shrimp – it’s an easy process and is much healthier for you. I place the shrimp seasoned side down, and season the other side while it is cooking. Cook the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and cook another 1 1/2 minutes and take them off the heat and place on a plate.
Mix it all Together
Now that everything is ready to mix, I drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the sauce. Then, I add the freshly chopped basil. Growing a basil plant is so easy, and there is nothing better than fresh basil to make this dish pop. I place the pasta on plates, and top with the shrimp and a basil leaf. Easy peasy!
Variations
I have also made this dish using lime in place of the lemon, and have used chicken or scallops in place of the shrimp. Such a versatile dish!
Enjoy,
Sherri
Easy Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 quarts Water
- 8 oz Spaghetti, Fettuccine, or other pasta uncooked
- 2 cups Baby Spinach chopped
- 1 pound Large Shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice fresh
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 tbsp Capers rinsed
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil chopped
Instructions
- Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes.
- Mix together sauce ingredients.
- While Pasta is cooking, season and add shrimp to pan; cooking 1 ½ minutes on each side, or until shrimp are done.
- Pasta should be cooked al dente – or to your liking.
- Add chopped spinach to pasta water, if desired, until just wilted. Drain.
- Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Stir in sauce mixture. Add Shrimp.
- Top with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
