Recipe: Basil, Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta

Yield: 4 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each

Servings: 4

Serving Size: about 1 1/4 cups

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Total Time (mins): 35

Recipe Description:

This quick-cooking, healthy dinner is a simple combination of zucchini, shrimp and pasta flecked with plenty of fresh basil. If you have leftover cooked pasta from another meal, use it and skip Step 2. Since the recipe combines a starch, vegetables and the shrimp, all you need is a fruit or vegetable salad to round out the menu.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
• Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (31-40 per pound)
• 2 cups orecchiette or other small pasta, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 medium zucchini or summer squash or 1 of each

Recipe Steps:

1. Combine 1/4 cup basil, tomato sauce, 2 teaspoons oil, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne in a medium bowl. Stir in shrimp; let stand for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pan of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 11 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
3. Quarter squash lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp mixture along with the squash. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are pink and just barely cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the pasta and heat, stirring, until piping hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup basil and season with pepper.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

• Note: Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized, so to get the size you want, order by the count per pound.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 315 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 143 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 6 g total sugars; 24 g protein; 7 g fiber; 622 mg sodium; 687 mg potassium.

Copyright:

© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.