Creamy Shrimp Pasta

Sometimes I’m in the mood for some creamy, delicious shrimp pasta. Sure, I could just pick up a jar of Alfredo Sauce at the grocery store and save some trouble but this quick homemade version is unmatched. The lemon zest keeps it bright while the Neufchâtel cheese makes it decadent. The combination of veggies and shrimp in this recipe brings a variety of texture and color to the dish, ensuring you won’t be bored with it three bites in! This pasta would pair wonderfully with a buttery chardonnay. I would say to sub the cooking wine with the chardonnay but that leaves you with less wine to drink and that’s just wrong!

This quick homemade is the ultimate crowd pleaser.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp, tails removed
8 ounces of pasta (I used rotini, this time)
3 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese
1/2 cup dry cooking wine
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth (or homemade shrimp broth)
1/4 cup light cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Liberal dashes salt and pepper
1 lemon

Directions:

1. Prepare your ingredients:
   • Chop the pepper and the onion, mince the garlic, rinse the spinach, juice the lemon, zest for two teaspoons of lemon zest.
2. Prepare the pasta:
   • Fill a pan with just enough water to cover the pasta, salt the water, add the pasta, boil for about 11 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
     TIP: I like to drizzle just a little bit of olive oil over the pasta and mix to keep it from drying out.
3. Make the sauce:
   • While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium size sauce pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and peppers and cook until fragrant. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the wine, broth, cream, cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper. While the mixture thickens, stir in the parmesan and lemon zest. Simmer and remove from heat once the sauce has reached desired consistency.
4. Cook the shrimp:
   • In a separate pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the shrimp until they reach a nice bright pink color. Remove the shrimp from the pan and add them to the cream sauce.
5. Cook the spinach:
   • Add a dash of olive oil along with the spinach to the same pan that the shrimp was cooked in and heat just until wilted. Mix into the sauce.
6. Finish the pasta and plate your dish:
   • Combine the sauce with the pasta and gently mix. Serve in the center of a plate, garnish with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

Katrina