Ok, I know I have been off the grid for the last week-ish as I tried to enjoy my 41st birthday and Christmas. I kind of had that manic pre-Christmas insanity over here. We had dinners every night and I felt like I was on a bit of a cook-clean-sleep-5-hours- wake-up-and-do-it-again wheel of craziness. So yesterday, the 26th was a true lie on the couch day. Well, I actually made an awesome soup with Greek Chicken and Potatoes leftovers combined with this Mole sauce, which I froze early in the month. Then I skimmed all the fat off the top of the soup and fried rice in it and used apple juice to cook it. Honestly, it was epic when all put together. So that’s our deal. Eat and watch movies. I am not complaining!
But today, feels like I have to get it slightly more together today. Like maybe venture out of the house?!
Maybe eat something with green in it?!
I can meet in the middle by making sure that the green is wrapped around pasta LOL! Try this Basil-Arugula Pesto Pasta with Garlicky Shrimp and you will make your family a very happy group for lunch or dinner over this weekend.
- 1 pound spaghetti (regular or gluten-free)
- Garlicky Shrimp:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 pound peeled and de-veined shrimp
- Spinach Walnut Pesto
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 cups fresh arugula
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- For the Garlicky Shrimp: In a medium sized bowl, combine the garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Whisk it together and then add the shrimp and toss to coat. Let the shrimp sit and marinate while the pasta cooks and you make the pesto.
- Add the spaghetti to the water and stir well, cooking to al dente according to package directions.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, add the garlic and the walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse. Add the arugula and basil and pulse until everything is well chopped. Stream in the olive oil and lemon juice while the blade is running, and the pesto should come together and get creamy. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and set aside.
- When there are two minutes left on the pasta, bring a large pan to high heat and add the shrimp and the sauce to the pan. Cook the shrimp on high, stirring often until the shrimp are just pink, about 1-2 minutes. Add the pesto to the shrimp and then drain and add the pasta to the pan with shrimp and extra sauce. Gently stir the pasta and the pesto and shrimp all together and then quickly transfer to a platter and serve immediately.
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