My
husband says that he would be happy to eat pizza every day for the rest of his
life. I think that if I had to choose which food I felt this way about it would
be pasta. There are just so many different types of pasta out there and so many
different ways to dress it.
Usually
I like to smother my pasta in a rich Alfredo or marinara sauce. This is NOT
that type of pasta. This pasta is light and spicy. It is a surprisingly healthy
pasta dish that tastes magnificent. Yes I used the word magnificent to describe
this pasta and here is why: I usually make enough pasta to eat as a meal one
night and to feed my family leftovers on another night… but when I make this
pasta I eat all the leftovers for lunches before anyone else can get to it. I
know it is selfish of me, but in my defense it is really good pasta.
What you need:
8 oz shell pasta
noodles
1 teaspoons olive oil
¼ cup onion diced
1 teaspoon minced
garlic
1 cup grape tomatoes,
halved
½ cups diced red
peppers
¼ cups chopped fresh
basil
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoons crushed
red pepper flakes
½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons black pepper
1 cup fresh arugula
2 ounces shredded Mozzarella
Cheese
1 cup uncooked shrimp
{remove shells and devein}
1 tablespoon butter
How to Make It:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve
1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large pan
over medium heat. Add the diced onion, diced red peppers, and garlic and cook
until soft {about 5 minutes}.
Add the halved tomatoes, basil, paprika,
crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes
until the tomatoes begin to soften.
Add the arugula to the pan and stir to combine.
Cook until the arugula wilts.
Turn the heat to low and stir in the shredded
mozzarella cheese.
In a separate pan sauté the uncooked shrimp in
1 tablespoon of butter until done {they should curl up and turn pink when
finished}.
Add the cooked pasta, cooked shrimp, and pasta
water to the tomato arugula mixture and stir until combined.
I serve this pasta
with a side of garlic bread and a glass of milk. My husband bakes this amazing
garlic bread on the grill using a loaf of French bread {I will have to take
some pictures and share that recipe with you all soon}. It is delicious and the
garlic bread helps to offset a little of the spiciness of the pasta so that a
good balance is achieved.
I used Shrimp as my
protein source because it keeps this dish from feeling too heavy. I love that
this is such a light pasta dish and that there is no real “sauce” to it. At the
same time, when you eat it you don’t miss that there is no sauce because there
is just SO much flavor packed into it. I hope you will give it a try. And feel
free to come back and let me know what you think!
What is your favorite pasta dish?
This recipe is linked up at Delicious Dish Tuesday and Friday Food Frenzy:
