Description
This creamy shrimp and sundried tomato pasta is rich, flavorful, and perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta (or another short shaped pasta such as ziti, penne, ditali, small shells, elbow macaroni, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes (olive oil may be substituted)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes (oil blotted and roughly chopped)
- 12 ounces large raw shrimp
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional and to taste)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1/4 cup finely minced fresh basil (or to taste; plus more for garnishing if desired)
- Fresh parsley or additional basil (optional for garnishing)
Instructions
- To a large stockpot, add water, salt it, add the pasta, and cook to package directions for al dente. When pasta is done, drain, and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, save and reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water just in case you want some later to thin out the sauce.*
- To a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon from the jar of sundried tomatoes. If your sundried tomatoes aren’t packed in oil, substitute with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add the garlic, evenly sprinkle with flour, and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes; stir nearly continuously.
- While whisking, slowly add the chicken broth, then the heavy cream, tomato paste, and whisk to incorporate the tomato paste; about 1 minute.
- Add the sundried tomatoes, shrimp, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes, stir to combine, bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, and then reduce to a lower simmer and cook the shrimp just until done, about 4 minutes once simmering.
- Add the Parmesan cheese, spinach, basil, cooked pasta on top, and toss to combine the cheese and wilt the spinach.
- Taste mixture and make any necessary seasoning or flavor adjustments. If your sauce is thicker than you’d like, add pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired sauce consistency is reached.
- Garnish as desired with additional basil, parsley, or Parmesan, and serve immediately.
Notes
- If the dish is boring or bland, it likely needs more salt. The same applies for pepper, but more so for salt.
- I recommend red pepper flakes because they add flavor and depth without making the dish spicy.
- If the dish is a little sharp, you can add a pinch of granulated sugar to balance the acidity from the tomato paste and sundried tomatoes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 150mg