The Great Escape

Shrimp Pasta in Lemon-Butter Sauce

I believe in Greensboro, Alabama today the temperature is 101 degrees with  54% humidity! When developing my recipe for this week's post I wanted to create a light pasta dish that takes no time at all to prepare, because lets face it we still deserve great food even though the weather is unbearable. Shrimp pasta always reminds me of Olive Garden, where they drench the pasta in a heavy Alfredo sauce (which do not get me wrong sometimes I love) and top with a few shrimp for good measure. I wanted to take that idea I have of what shrimp pasta is and put it in reverse in order to get it down to the bare bones which is shrimp and pasta. To build on the 'bare bones' I added quality ingredients in homegrown tomatoes and basil I pulled from my garden and sauteed lemon peel. This dish turned out to have an incredibly refreshing flavor that everyone is sure to appreciate in the summer heat. So lay back and enjoy this simple, no fuss pasta dish. 

*Great tip for faking homemade pasta (now if you make your own pasta more power to you, but I am one of the unfortunate ones who has tried and tried with no success): take a tip from Jamie Oliver by purchasing store-bought, high-quality lasagna noodles, boil them and cut each noodle into 2 or 3 large strips. Your guests will never know! 

Shrimp Pasta in Lemon-Butter Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Makes: 3 Main Dishes 

3 homegrown tomatoes, chopped 

2 lemons, 1 juiced and 2 peeled into thin strips

1 lb. lasagna noodles

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined 

Pinch of red chili flakes

Pepper

1 bunch of basil, chiffonade (garnish)

Shaved Parmesan (garnish)

Bring a large salted pot of water to boil, add lasagna noodles. Cook as directed. Make sure to separate through out the cooking process; they tend to want to stick together.

While noodles are boiling, bring a large saucepan up to medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. Once melted, reduce to medium-low and add lemon peel and pepper. Cook until peel is softened, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Cook until shrimp begins to slightly curl and turn pink, 3-4 minutes. 

Strain lasagna noodles and cut into strips. Add noodles and tomatoes to the shrimp pan. Carefully toss to combine. 

Serve pasta topped with basil and freshly shaved Parmesan.