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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Pasta


Shrimp, pasta, fresh basil and tomatoes with some garlic bread...so good!

I've made this a couple times. Rodney and I both love it. The first time I made the recipe exactly and it was a bit too watery. Last time I cut the water by half and did that again this time as it worked out so much better for our tastes.

The one thing I don't care for is the de-pooping (deveining) of the shrimp part -- and that goes for any shrimp recipe. Instead of using medium shrimp, I used some jumbos that I had in the freezer from an I-didn't-read-the-label-too-closely-as-I-was-in-a-hurry purchase.

I use my blog to find go-to recipes in an instant. Since I like to refer to the latest altered version of a recipe I've tried, I'm going to update this post with my changes. The link below will take you to the original recipe.

Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Pasta

1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
1 c water
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
½ pound linguine
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Season shrimp with salt and pepper.


In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high heat. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.


To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat; stir in halved grape tomatoes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions.

Drain; return pasta to pot.

Add tomato sauce, shrimp, and basil to pasta and toss.



It turns out that I much prefer the jumbo shrimp. Sure, there are less shrimp per pound and they cost a bit more, but their size make up the difference. They are soo much easier to de-poop!

Cost:

  • shrimp, 1lb., jumbo: $10 (SWAG)
  • diced tomatoes: $1
  • grape tomatoes: $1.99/pint
  • fresh basil: $1.20 with more than half of the package leftover
  • linguine: $0.50/0.5 lb
Total: $14.69 for a total of 3 servings (1 Rodney, 2 of The Cooks), which brings each serving to $4.90 or $3.67 for each of 4 normal servings.

Yeah, this recipe definitely leans more toward the expensive side. If you can swing it, do it. Maybe to prove to a date that you can cook a brilliantly colored, tasteful and healthy-ish meal. Rodney and I tend to have it when we feel the desire to splurge a little and go beyond the cheap chicken and beef. The leftovers serve as a fantastic lunch at work the following day as long as you don't over-nuke the meal.

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