Shrimp Pasta with Creamy and Mozzarella Sauce
Delicious shrimp pasta with mozzarella cheese alfredo sauce made from scratch with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, red pepper flakes, paprika and cream. You'll have a perfectly cooked shrimp: soft and tender and never dry or rubbery!
THE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
Pasta:
- 8 oz penne pasta (for gluten free version, use gluten free brown rice pasta)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (drained from sun-dried tomatoes jar or just use regular olive oil)
- 1 pound shrimp (without shells, and deveined)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Creamy Sauce:
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes (without oil)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded (never frozen)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil (if using fresh basil you can add more)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes , crushed, add more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
How to cook pasta:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain the pasta.
How to cook shrimp:
- Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing the shrimp as described below:
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar - see note above, or use regular olive oil) in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add shrimp with minced garlic. Cook the shrimp on one side for about 1 minute, until shrimp turns pink or golden brown on that side. While it cooks, sprinkle salt over the shrimp to cover every single shrimp.
- Make sure not to crowd the shrimp in the skillet, otherwise moisture will form and shrimp won't sear right.
- After 1 minute, Flip the shrimp over to the other side and cook for about 30 seconds or 1 minute more.
- The shrimp should be golden color or pink on both sides and not overcooked.
- Remove the shrimp to a plate, being careful to leave all the oil in the skillet.
How to make creamy sauce:
- To the same skillet, add sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil and sliced into smaller chunks, if needed) and more minced garlic.
- Saute sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (remaining from shrimp) on medium heat, stirring, for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. The skillet should be hot.
- Add half and half to the hot skillet with sun-dried tomatoes and bring to boil.
- Add shredded cheese to the skillet, and quickly stir in while boiling. Immediately reduce to simmer.
- Continue cooking the sauce on low simmer heat, constantly stirring, until all the cheese melts and the creamy sauce forms.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of half-and-half or reserved cooked pasta water.
- Add basil, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika. Stir.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt gradually, stirring on low heat and tasting (you might need slightly less than 1/4 teaspoon).
How to assemble shrimp pasta:
- Add cooked pasta to the sauce, and reheat gently on medium heat.
- Add the cooked shrimp, stir it in.
- Taste, and season with more salt, if needed.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of half-and-half or reserved cooked pasta water.
- Let everything simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
- Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
Source: juliasalbum.com
