Creamy Shrimp Pasta

Plated up and ready to eat

Shrimp cooking in the sauce

This recipe got sort of just thrown together last-minute because I had purchased the shrimp earlier in the day and was in the mood for pasta. There really is no time we are not in the mood for pasta and nothing quite satisfies like the real deal. I had everything else in the fridge but these are super easy ingredients and I highly recommend this recipe to all of you. It’s creamy and delicious without being too heavy. In the mood for pasta and shrimp? this one is sure to satisfy.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, I used under 15 (15 to a pound) for the two of us. This could probably serve 3 to 4 as a side dish, and 2 – 3 comfortably as a main dish. Leave the tails on when you peel and de-vein.  I only used 1/2 box of pasta but you can increase the pasta for more people.

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1 15 oz. can of Tomatoes, I used whole but diced would be fine. Whole was what I had in the house and I just broke with the back of a wooden spoon while it was cooking. Either one would work just fine.

3/4 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 cup white wine ( I used Pinot Grigio) just nothing too sweet

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

*1/2 tsp. kosher salt–this is what I used but you can taste for salt and black pepper

*1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

*sprinkle of crushed red pepper–totally optional but if you like a bit of heat this works perfectly here. Use as much or as little as you like and can be added at table if you’re not sure everyone will like it.

1/2 lb. pasta–you can use capellini or fettucine or anything in between. I used fettucine because I was using what I had on hand in the pantry.

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat ( at least a 12″ heavy skillet) Heat oil until it starts to shimmer but not smokes. Cook shrimp along with garlic, oregano , app. 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and app. 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, turning the shrimp over after 2-3 minutes (as soon as shrimp curls). Stir in wine and tomatoes, scraping up any bits which may be at the bottom of the pan. Add heavy cream and briskly bring to a simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. I let the sauce sit off the heat while I prepared my pasta, you don’t want rubbery overcooked shrimp.

Meanwhile cook pasta according to box directions for al dente in a well-salted pot. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water . ( you may need water if sauce gets too thick)  Drain pasta.

I then turned on the heat and brought sauce to a low boil and added in the pasta. If sauce is too thick you can thin it out with a little pasta water. I only used a bit of the pasta water. It was divine.