The last installment in Friday Pasta Madness (for now 
) is another great find from Fitness Magazine. I’ve also had this recipe for a while- its from the Nov/Dec 2011 issue.
I decided to make this one weeknight recently, and ended up modifying the recipe quite substantially. Either way you make it, by the recipe from the magazine or with my modifications, it makes a fairly healthy and quick weeknight meal. I’ve got the original recipe below for you, and my notes on what I did different following that. If you make this, I’d love to know which version you went with, or did you add your own twists?
Fettuccine With Shrimp, Garlic, and Broccoli
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3/4 pound frozen medium shrimp, thawed
- 8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine
- 3 cups broccoli florets
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; saute 5 minutes. Add Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes; cook 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic; reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile peel shrimp and remove tails; set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli florets to the pot for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Add shrimp to the tomato sauce; cook 2 to 3 minutes, until opaque.
- Serve shrimp and sauce over pasta and broccoli.
When I made this, I had just come home from the gym, so I prepared what I could ahead of time, hit the shower, then came back and finished cooking. It made for a quick and easy dinner! The key: I used extra of the Roasted Red Pepper pasta sauce from last week. We loved it so much I made an entire batch solely for the freezer to pull out and use instances like this. Here’s my recipe version:
Amy’s Fettuccine With Shrimp and Broccoli
Ingredients:
- Premade, frozen roasted red pepper sauce. Get recipe here.
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes (I like it SPICY! So, use the amount in above recipe or none at all if you wish)
- 3/4 pound frozen medium shrimp, thawed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
- 8 oz whole-wheat fettuccine
- 1 bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower florets
- salt/pepper to taste
Directions:
- Steam your broccoli/cauliflower bag in microwave according to package directions and set aside.
- Fill a pot with water and add carrots and boil water. Add pasta and cook till al dente and carrots are tender enough to pierce with a fork.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan and saute shrimp. Add red pepper flake, black pepper, and parsley.
- Defrost sauce enough to spoon out desired amount into pan with shrimp and heat slowly. Add broccoli/cauliflower to sauce/shrimp mix.
- Drain pasta, and combine with sauce mix and serve!
I think the red pepper sauce was the perfect compliment to this dish. Overall there was a nice sweetness from the carrots and red pepper sauce and I couldn’t stop eating this up. I also think having the premade sauce, and using the frozen veggies cut down on cooking time some.
What do you do to speed up weeknight meals without sacrificing on flavor/quality?
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