A quick and easy dinner of Shrimp and Pasta in a Light Tomato Sauce...and the story begins.
If you are anything like me, my days are long and a bit crazy. After meeting with people all day, I want to get home to some quite time and a home cooked meal. But, if you are the one who makes the meals at night, the first thing you get greeted with is, "What are we having for dinner?"
Last night, I got home and realized it was either leftovers or we would be ordering out. After spending 3 hours with my parents trying to set up their new wireless and e-mail systems, I just wanted to relax, have a glass of wine, c'mon it's Friday. I looked around the refrigerator and then opened the freezer and there was a bag of frozen shrimp. Well, I had a starting point. I looked back into the refrigerator and realized I didn't have any lemons, so no Shrimp Piccata. I went to the computer and tried looking up a shrimp and pasta recipe and stumbled upon this dish. It was from Taste of Home and it was called Italian Shrimp and Pasta Recipe. It was labeled as a light dish and sometimes it makes me wonder if it is light on flavor, too. The ingredient list was short, as was my patience to cook, so this recipe was a match made in heaven.
I chopped the garlic, drained the diced tomatoes, got out the herbs and I was ready to go. As I got the sauce cooking, the water was boiling for the pasta and before I knew it 30 minutes had gone by and I was ready for dinner. One of the quickest and easiest recipes I have enjoyed making. I am definitely putting this on my "keeper" list which means we may actually make this more than once.
We sat down and I couldn't wait to taste the dish, it looked and smelled delicious. The pasta was perfect, the tomato sauce had a great flavor, with some extra garlic and red pepper flakes and the shrimp was moist and delicious. It's amazing how good shrimp tastes when it is cooked n a tomato base and the red pepper flakes gave it a little kick!
I wanted to get this recipe out for you to enjoy because it was quick and easy and with the basic ingredients, you can put this together on any given, crazy day. Try this Shrimp and Pasta in a Light Tomato Sauce, the recipe will quickly become a family favorite.
Shrimp and Pasta in a Light Tomato Sauce (adapted from Taste of Home)
Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 - 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (or 2 - 14.5 ounce cans)
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/8-1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (depending on how you like your heat)
12 ounces of fettuccine or spaghetti
Preparation:
1. Over high heat, add water to a large pot with one teaspoon of salt, bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions. Cook to al dente.
2. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant.
3. Add the drained tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, oregano, pepper and crushed red pepper.
4. Bring to a slight boil and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce mixture and cook until no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
6. Remove tomato and shrimp mixture from the heat and add the cooked pasta. Stir until well blended.
7. Serve and devour! Makes 4 servings.
