Okay.
So I’m late to the “pesto” party. Why didn’t someone tell me how delicious it is?? I’ve been avoiding it for years because I’m allergic to pine nuts. (Pesto is basically just basil, cheese, olive oil and other deliciousness mixed up into a paste-like consistency.)
But then I came across this:
NO PINE NUTS! *backflips* Since my discovery, I’ve been using this on everything! Potatoes, chicken, pasta, sandwiches. So good. The jar you see above was about $3. I’ve been making it streeeeetch.
I’ve been having seafood cravings lately (nope, not preggers) and I wanted to pair my newfound love of pesto with some shrimp. Luckily, I got some shrimp on sale and had some spaghetti in the cabinet. Nothing more needs to be said.
Tara’s Pesto Shrimp Pasta
Time to cook: 15 minutes
Cost: $5
Ingredients
1/2 box spaghetti or other long pasta
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup veggies of your choice – bell peppers, green beans, onions, artichokes, zucchini are all good choices.
1/2 pound shrimp
1/4 cup store-bought pesto
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions and reserve one cup of the cooking water. (To make this a one-pot meal, you can cook the rest of the meal in the same pot you cooked the noodles in – it will just take longer.)
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in skillet and toss in veggies until soft. (Tip: If adding zucchini, taste a piece and see if it’s a little bitter. If so, add a small sprinkle of sugar.) Add in shrimp and pesto; cook until shrimp turns pink. Add in red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Combine with pasta, adding a bit of the cooking water to stretch the sauce a bit.
You are done. You may eat. You can thank me later.