The Looney Foodie bets that there are tons of people searching for a shrimp scampi pasta recipe and let me start off on a tangent here to get us all in the mood.
Anyone ever see that Albert Brooks & Meryl Streep movie (with Rip Torn adding his own unique comedic skills), Defending Your Life? (streaming)
In that movie they are in a sort of pre Heavenly way station where everyone wears togas and lives the hotel lifestyle where you can socialize and eat to your heart’s content and never gain any weight.
Well, I imagine that this shrimp scampi pasta recipe maybe originated in that Heavenly hotel on high…
Let’s get to it.
This shrimp scampi pasta recipe contains two notable ingredients other than pasta and shrimp, and those would be spinach and roasted peppers. If for some reason you or someone who is going to be feasting on this doesn’t like spinach, then either leave it out or replace it with something like asparagus or some other green veggie, or leave it out altogether.
I say that only because there are some real spinach haters out there, but shhh!
Don’t tell Popeye!
Ingredients
3 cloves of garlic sliced thin
1 oz finely grated Parmesan cheese (the good Deli type)
8 oz of pasta (linguini)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup roasted red peppers, finely chopped
12 oz peeled and cleaned shrimp (thawed)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (divided)
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz baby spinach leaves (4 cups)
Prep Work
Bring water to a boil for the pasta
Slice the garlic and chop the peppers
Grate the cheese (1/3 cup)
The Magic Steps
1. Cook and drain the pasta – this is so easy that I hope you don’t need the box instructions, but they’re on the pasta box if you do.
2. Preheat a large sauté pan on medium for 1-2 minutes and place oil and garlic in pan.
3. Add the peppers, shrimp, pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon each of pepper and salt; cook and stir it up for one minute.
4. Add in the broth; cook it for 2-3 minutes and reduce by one half and the shrimp have turned pink and opaque (no longer that gelatinous see through color)
5. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the butter, spinach, pasta, cheese, and remaining quarter teaspoon each od pepper and salt. Toss it up until the cheese and butter melts and the spinach wilts.
Cooking the shrimp:
Added some green:
SERVE
The Data
Calories (1/4 recipe) 480
Fat 19g
Sat. Fat 8g
Chol. 165mg
Sodium 1090mg
Carb 51g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 5g
Protein 26g
Summary
This shrimp scampi pasta recipe is very simple and fun to make. You don’t need to be a gourmet chef, and once you do it a few times you will just know it naturally.
Cooking is something that is refined over time and practice makes perfect. Before you know it, you’ll be adding and subtracting things and customizing recipes to give to them a flair that only YOU can.
If you’re a real pro, then maybe you can make this same recipe using your own homemade pasta!
Remember, food is NOTHING to be afraid of.
If anything, practice on a willing guinea pig who is more forgiving of mistakes until you get it perfect enough to present to actual dinner guests.
Get a good book as well. Every little bit helps!
Check out the rest of the blog for more ideas.
Looney Foodie out…
