Serves a Crowd

Quick Shrimp & Pea Pasta

by:
December  3, 2013
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

It isn't always possible to have something ready when we walk through the door after a long day, and I don't always want to order delivery to cover for our crashing sugar levels. Tonight, I whipped this up for four hungry children (5-,4-,3-,2- years old), mine and two friends. We were cutting it close to dinner-meltdown time. Their meltdowns are only slightly worse than mine when we are hungry. I used what was on hand, and yes, it was all frozen. —gabby

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound frozen shrimp, thawed per package instructions OR same fresh, deveined, peeled. Tails are up to you.
  • 10 ounces frozen peas
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup chicken stock (or water or wine)
  • 1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2-3 handfuls shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
  1. Set salted water to boil for the pasta.
  2. Defrost shrimp while pasta water readies (my packet required five minutes under running water, then another two minutes to drain)
  3. Ready your garlic. Your water should be boiling, so add your pasta. Don't forget to give it a good stir now and again to keep the pieces separate. I used linguine, but any pasta should be fine.
  4. Put oil in skillet over med-high heat. When it's warmed, add the garlic and lightly sauté. About 15-30 seconds. Add the shrimp. Let them cook for a minute or two.
  5. Add the peas, stir together for a minute, then add the liquid (stock/water/wine). I used chicken stock, but you could sub according to your preference.
  6. Let the shrimp mixture cook for a few minutes. Salt and pepper lightly.
  7. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2C of its water to flavor your shrimp mix or give it liquid. I didn't use mine, but I always do this just in case.
  8. Put pasta back in its pot. When the shrimp are pink and firm, toss the garlicky lot in with the pasta and stir. Add in the chopped parsley.
  9. Serve topped with cheese. Note: the garlic and parsley measurements aren't in stone. You want more garlic, add it! I was pretty sure my smalls would be happy with the garlic level of two. I served this with a side of sautéed mushrooms (brown crimini and chanterelles). I dumped mine in with the pasta and it worked well, but prefer the simpler approach for a meal.

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1 Review

Jessica November 4, 2024
Simple, easy to make, healthy and delicious! I added some red pepper flakes. High protein, high fiber, no fat (I didn't add any oil). I do think a little butter at the saute stage would be good. Thank you for the great recipe!