It truly amazes me everyday how there are endless variations of dishes. Sure, I've made a shrimp pasta dinner before, but not like this! The green bell pepper, garlic, and onion give this pasta such a delicious kick of flavor. If you're bored of your everyday pasta dinner and don't know how to incorporate protein into it, this is perfect for a family dinner or meal prep dinner! It takes such little time, how could you not want to try this out? So, let's get to the recipe.
Yields: 3
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
This recipe is dairy free and pescatarian. If you are vegetarian/vegan, please opt out of the shrimp!
Ingredients:
1. 1 pearl onion
2. ½ green bell pepper
3. 2 plum tomatoes
4. 4.5oz can of sliced mushrooms
5. 3 garlic cloves
6. 20 jumbo shrimp
7. 1 box of penne pasta (feel free to use GF pasta)
8. 3 TBSPs of unsweetened tomato paste
9. Extra virgin olive oil
10. Kosher salt
11. Freshly ground black pepper
12. Garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil
13. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley
Instructions:
1. First, make sure your jumbo shrimp has been defrosted and patted dry.
2. Squeeze ½ lemon on the shrimp, and season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder to your liking. Mix well.
3. Now, grab a large frying pan and set it on the side.
4. Finely dice the 1 pearl onion, ½ green bell pepper, and 2 plum tomatoes. Mince the 3 garlic cloves.
5. Now, in that large frying pan, add 3 TSBPs of extra virgin olive oil. Add in the minced garlic and onion.
6. Once you can smell the garlic and the onion has turned light brown, add in the green bell peppers. Stir.
7. Stir on medium heat for 2 minutes, and add in the shrimp. Let them sauté well.
8. After 3 minutes or so, add in the tomatoes, mushrooms, and 3 TBSPS of tomato paste.
9. Add in 1 cup of already boiled water into the pan. Stir well, and make sure the tomato paste is well mixed with the shrimp and veggies.
10. Let the shrimp and veggies simmer until you can see the water and tomato paste have created a thick sauce. Do a taste test for salt, and make sure the shrimp is well-cooked through. If the sauce is too dry, add more water.
11. Once the sauce is to your liking, add 1/4 TSP of dried oregano and 1/4 TSP of dried basil. Mix it well into the sauce, and turn the heat off once the sauce is to your liking of thickness and taste. You don't want to overcook the shrimp and sauce. It will dry up.
12. Now, boil your penne pasta in salt water, and strain it once it's al dente.
13. Grab a serving bowl, add in your desired amount of pasta, shrimp and sauce, garnish with freshly chopped parsley, and enjoy!
