Does anyone know where May went? May was busier in the Birdbelly house than usual. We went on vacation for a week, another long weekend, then celebrated Memorial Day, and next thing I knew- May was gone. Not only does it seem like we were barely home, I really didn’t cook at all!
So what do you need when your life seems to be going fast, but you still want a hearty meal at home? You need Creamy Tomato Shrimp Pasta. Shrimp often becomes my protein of choice on the weekdays. It takes minutes to cook, and also thaws from frozen in 20 min or less. So, when you get home from a long day, throw some frozen shrimp in a cold bowl of water, prep the rest of your ingredients, and your shrimp will be ready to go by the time you are.
I created this meal as a way to use up the tomatoes we kept from our garden the previous year. At the end of the year, instead of jarring, we typically flash steam, peel, and then freeze our tomatoes. Once thawed they are just like any stewed tomato you may use for soups and sauces. But whether you have garden fresh, or canned diced tomatoes, either are perfect for this dish. In fact, for this week’s meal, I used canned…I guess I didn’t realize I had already used up all of last year’s garden tomatoes!
Without further ado, my Creamy Tomato Shrimp Pasta, your new favorite easy weeknight meal!
The Process:
Boil salted water and cook according to the package’s al-dente directions. DO NOT RINSE!
While your water comes up to a boil, peel your raw shrimp. I normally by the frozen EZ peel, and after they are thawed, peel by grabbing and pulling on the tail, then the whole shell comes off.
Prep the rest of your ingredients, mince about 4-5 cloves of garlic, depending on their size. You want a heaping tablespoon of garlic. The sauce for this dish cooks quickly, so have everything ready before you heat up the skillet.
In a hot skillet, over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once it starts to thin out over the bottom of your pan, add in your tomatoes (juice and all), water, garlic, and seasonings.
Cook until bubbly.
Then add in your shrimp. Cook until pink. About 6 minutes. At this moment, you can put the lid on your skillet to help the steam cook the shrimp.
Turn the heat to medium-low and add in the parmesan and cream, stir to incorporate.
Next add in butter, and al-dente pasta. Stir so the creamy sauce has coated all of the pasta. Turn to low and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly as it stands with the pasta.
Serve and Enjoy! Like any saucy pasta dish, it pairs incredibly well with a crispy garlic bread!
The Recipe
Creamy Tomato Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs Raw Peeled Shrimp
- 16 oz Pasta
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 14.5 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes
- 1/2 c Water
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
- 3/4 c Heavy Cream 1/2 and 1/2 to substitute
- 1 tbsp Butter
Instructions
-
Bring pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to al-dente package directions
-
In a hot skillet on medium-high heat, add olive oil, tomatoes, water, garlic, and seasonings. Cook until bubbling.
-
Add in the shrimp, and cook until pink. About 6 minutes.
-
Turn heat to medium-low, add in the parmesan cheese, and cream, stir to incorporate.
-
Add in butter, and pasta. Stir until the sauce coats the pasta, turn to low, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it stands.
xoxo,
birdbelly
