Simply. Delicious. Pasta.

Looking for something, quick, easy, yet a little elegant? We're talking less than 30 minutes from the time the little light bulb in your overworked brain ignites to your first bite of yumminess at the table. The other great thing about this dish is that it requires few ingredients -many that you may already have- so pre-planning is not an issue. When push comes to shove in our house in the dinnertime battle, pasta is always a winner! So pour yourself a glass of vino, and savor the taste of victory.

Simply Delicious Shrimp Pasta

• 1 pound (box) pasta
• 1 pound large shrimp (raw, peeled, deveined, tail off)
• 1 small carton cherry or grape tomatoes halved or quartered
• 6 cloves fresh chopped garlic (or a good squeeze of the tubed stuff, or two heaping spoonfuls of the jarred minced stuff)
• 1 pesto cube (see previous post Pesto, Presto!), or tablespoon of prepared pesto
• Squeeze of lemon
• 1 jar of marinated artichoke hears (cut into bite size chunks)
• 1 TBSP butter
• 3 TBSP soft goat cheese
• Salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and dry white wine (I like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio since I can also drink it, too!)

Start a pot of super salted water for pasta on high, and a large skillet with garlic, butter, and a good coat of olive oil over medium heat.

While both pans heat, slice tomatoes and artichokes.

As soon as the garlic is fragrant and butter is mostly melted, add shrimp.

Next, add in the tomatoes and artichoke.

Flip shrimp with a pair of tongs as soon as they begin to curl and quickly add some freshly cracked black pepper, salt, squeeze of lemon, and about 1/2 cup of white wine.

Allow liquids to bubble, then remove from heat to avoid overcooking shrimp.

When noodles are cooked to your liking, drain add to pan with shrimp and goodies.

Top with pesto and goat cheese, then mix. If it's a bit dry, add a drizzle of olive oil and one more squeeze of lemon.

A really fun, and yummy, garnish is a Parmesan chip. Make a few piles of shredded cheese (don't use the grated stuff in the shaker) on some foil, and put into toaster oven on 350 for a few minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Allow to cool, then peel off and place on top of each serving.


Enjoy with a glass of white wine, and viola! Done.