Quick Dinner Idea - Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Mauritius - June 9, 2012

Yesterday, after a loooong day driving around for work deliveries, I just wanted to come home and unwind. Only the parents were away for the weekend and that meant no steaming dinner waiting on the table. Tough luck! I thought long hard at my options: heat up a frozen pizza or come up with a really fast dinner. After a quick tour in the pantry I decided on my all-time favorite pasta:  the Tagliatelle. 

I discovered this yummy variation when I was visiting my sister in Paris. As all Mauritians, I am undoubtedly a great fan of macaroni (my mom used to make it veggie-style on Fridays) and spaghetti. But tagliatelle is so much easier and fun to cook with (it cooks faster than spaghetti) and I usually recommend getting it fresh. 

Anyway, I chose to whip up some quick creamy pesto tagliatelle for dinner to reward myself for another great productive day.

Creamy Shrimp Pesto Pasta
(Serves 4)

You will need:

• 500g tagliatelle pasta
• 500g large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 75g Pesto
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 garlic pods, crushed
• Small handful parsley, chopped
• Grated Parmesan cheese ( Kraft works too : )
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
• Salt & Pepper
• Garam Masala (2 pinches)
  

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add tagliatelle pasta, and cook until al dente; drain.
• In a pan, heat butter and add the crushed garlic. Stir in the chopped parsley, followed closely by the shrimps. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 mins, until they turn pink. Reserve.
• Pour the pesto in a large saucepan and heat for 2 mins. Ass the cream.
• Turn off heat and add the shrimps and tagliatelle. Mix thoroughly. Season again if need be. 
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (or Kraft) and Garam Masala and serve hot!

I added some cream to the pasta to have a more consistent sauce but you can omit it if you don't have any at hand.

Try this recipe for a romantic quick dinner. It works wonders!