Creamy Pesto Shrimp Pasta
One day a friend noticed a basil bush as she was leaving my house and asked, “do you make pesto?”. A little puzzled, I replied, “no, I use it for asian cuisine.” But then I thought, why not? I have several basil bushes. Until, I saw the price of pine nuts. Thankfully this recipe does not use pine nuts, but blanched almonds! Also another bonus is that you will have a nice amount of pesto leftover to use again or as a spread.You can swap out the protein, but shrimp works so well with this creamy pesto sauce. However, this is about you making YOUR perfect creamy pesto pasta. So, you do you. In this recipe, the focus will be on shrimp.
Cook time: 1 hr
½ cup olive/avocado oil blend
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 oz blanched almonds
2 cups of basil leaves
½ tsp salt
½ lemon juice
4 garlic cloves
9-12 oz pappardelle pasta or your favorite pasta
1 pound shrimp
½ cup heavy whipping cream
4 cloves garlic chopped
¼ small onion chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup parmesan cheese
Salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, paprika
1. Make pesto: in a blender or food processor add all of the ingredients for pesto and blend. This will yield a thick consistency, like a hummus dip.
2. Put water to boil for pasta.
3. Peel shrimp and devein (remove the black line along the spine by making a shallow cut down the spine), but save shells to flavor water for boiling pasta.
4. Marinade shrimp with salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika.
5. Add shells to boiling water x 5min. Scoop out shells and add pasta. Cook pasta according to instructions from the package. SAVE 1 CUP OF PASTA WATER.
6. Pan fry shrimp with a light drizzle of oil on medium heat. (use this same pan to make the sauce) Cook one side of shrimp till just pink and flip. Takes about 1-2min depending on your heat level. Do not overcook shrimp. Remove onto a bowl when barely cooked.
7. Add chopped onion. When the onion appears somewhat transparent, add garlic and butter.
8. Add ⅓ cup pesto, ¼ cup pasta water, and ¼ cup heavy whipping cream. Stir well to incorporate.
9. Add another ¼ cup pasta water and ¼ cup heavy whipping cream. Stir well and add 1 cup parmesan cheese. This will thicken the sauce.
10. Taste the sauce. If you would like a more pesto flavor add 1 heaping Tablespoon of pesto.
11. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Add ½ tsp garlic salt.
12. Add pasta. The pasta may thicken the sauce. Thin or thicken the sauce to your preference. Adding more pasta water or hwc will thin the sauce. Adding more parmesan cheese will thicken the sauce.
13. Add shrimp. Give it a good stir, remove from heat, and serve.
