This is a great pasta that doesn’t require much work. If you love shrimp and love penne pasta, this unique recipe will definitely be a fun one to make if you’re interested in something simple that’s ready in minutes.
Ingredients:
1 box Penne Pasta
1lb Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
8 C Water
2 T Butter
2 tsp Salt, Pepper & Garlic Salt
3 C Fresh Chopped Spinach, Kale or Arugula (do not use frozen)
1 C Mozzarella or Swiss Cheese
1 T Oil
3 Garlic cloves (minced)
Steps:
Take the pasta, put it in the pot, cook it based on the instructions of the package. During the last five minutes put the shrimp in there, and then cook this until the shrimp isn’t pink anymore.
Take all but one cup of the water, save that cup to the side. Make sure the pasta and the shrimp are kept warm.
Heat up some oil in a pan with medium heat. Once the butter starts to melt, add in the pasts, then toss this so that it cooks. Season it all together. Let it sit to cook for another couple minutes, stirring every so often.
From here, put the spinach in there, and then cook this for another minute until everything gets wilted. Make sure to add 1/3 cup of the cooking water here to make sure the spinach steams and cooks. Then, add in your cheese and shrimp, mixing this all together in a gentle manner until you see the cheese melt. Make sure you don’t overcook this.
Use salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste. Then, top it with some cilantro.
Tips
Can I use shrimp without the tails?
While this one calls for the tails removed, some people like to keep it in because of the flavor. We prefer that the tails are removed but keep the shell to enhance the shape and the flavor of the shrimp without too much work or additives to this.
Do I have to use penne pasta?
While the name does say shrimp penne, you can use other kinds of pastas if you don’t have penne on hand, or if you don’t like penne. You can also use whole wheat pasta if you don’t like to have white pastas.
Can I freeze this meal?
This meal is best eaten at that time. while you can freeze it, only the shrimp really works well frozen and that doesn’t take long to cook, so it’s not worth the time.
How long does it last in the fridge?
This one is good to keep in the fridge for up to five days, and you can reheat it. It’s still good for a bit, but you might notice the pasta may have a bit of a hard texture, so keep that in mind when you’re reheating it. It might be better to let it heat up slowly on the stove, with more cheese added to this.
What’s a good side to do with this meal?
This one is good without a side, but if you want to make something for it, then you can cook up some bread, and then have it as a nice side item. Usually though, this is a dish that works best on its own usually.