Thursday, March 28, 2019

SHRIMP PASTA WITH CREAMY MOZZARELLA SAUCE


Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Shrimp in creamy Mozzarella sauce. Italian pasta recipe. Gluten free pasta.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Shrimp in creamy Mozzarella sauce. Italian pasta recipe. Gluten free pasta.

Ingredients

Pasta:

  • 8 oz penne pasta (for gluten free version, use gluten free brown rice pasta)
  • Shrimp:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (drained from sun-dried tomatoes jar or just use regular olive oil)
  • 1 pound shrimp (without shells, and deveined)
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Creamy Sauce:

  • 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes (without oil)
  • 4 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded (do not use fresh Mozzarella, use pre-shredded Mozzarella)
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil (if using fresh basil you can add more)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes , crushed, add more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
How to cook pasta

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain the pasta.

How to cook shrimp

  1. Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing the shrimp as described below:
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar - see note above, or use regular olive oil) in a large skillet on medium-high heat. 
  3. Add shrimp with minced garlic.  Cook the shrimp on one side for about 1 minute, until shrimp turns pink or golden brown on that side. While it cooks, sprinkle salt over the shrimp to cover every single shrimp.