One pot meal that cooks in about 30 minutes. Perfect for a lazy weeknight. It has lots of colorful veggies and lean protein from the shrimp
I'm just gonna be honest...
I. am. exhausted.
Almost a week of parade-going and Mardi Gras participating has left me feeling pooped
I am sure some can sympathize with me and then I bet I have a few other readers who are rolling their eyes at my drama queen tendencies. Sarry
However I bet you won't be mad that I'm posting a recipe that takes a total of 30 minutes to cook that's made all in one pot
Am I right?
Of course I am!
And you'll love me even more if you're Catholic and can't eat meat today or the next 7 Fridays...
Either way, I've always been a seafood lover. Any seafood will do.
I especially love crab meat but it can be expensive and sometimes hard to find. {Be sure you try these Brie & Crab Stuffed Mushrooms as well as the Crab Cakes!!}
Fish is one of my faves as well
I mean, honestly, I like it all - even raw oysters
But today I'm using shrimp for some Lemon Shrimp Pasta
It's made in one pot and has lots of lemony flavor plus 4 different kinds of veggies.
I prefer to use fresh, local shrimp, but you could use frozen uncooked shrimp. Just thaw & dry before using. And be sure to look for shrimp from the USA with an ingredients list of only 'shrimp.'
By the way, you might possibly be concerned about the high amount of cholesterol in shrimp.
However, cholesterol from food has less effect on your actual blood cholesterol levels than saturated and trans fat. Saturated and trans fat will negatively affect your cholesterol levels much more than cholesterol in food.
Bottom line: shrimp is a great lean protein choice
Lemon Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1.25 lbs shrimp peeled
- 2 tsp butter divided
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 medium bell pepper diced, any color
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper {use less if you don't want it really spicy}
- 1/2 tsp white pepper {or substitute with black pepper}
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 2/3 cup dry whole wheat pasta about 5 oz.
- 3 cups water
- 1-2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
- lemon wedges for serving
- 2 green onions chopped {optional}
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan or skillet.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a plate & set aside.
- Add 1 tsp butter, onions, bell peppers, and celery to the saucepan. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, salt, cayenne, pepper, paprika, and parsley. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the bay leaf, pasta, water, and lemon juice. Stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally.
- Remove cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes until pasta is almost tender. Stir in shrimp and cook for about 2-4 minutes until shrimp are pink & cooked through and the water has almost evaporated. Take out bay leaf. Stir in remaining teaspoon butter and remove from heat.
- Serve with lemon wedges and sprinkled with green onions.
Notes
*You can make this gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. *Make it dairy-free by using olive oil in place of the butter. *It's naturally soy, egg, and nut free. *Obviously, if you need it to be shellfish free, then leave out the shrimp and use an equal amount of chicken in its place {just increase the cooking time}.
You can use 1 (15 oz.) can of drained & rinsed chickpeas, stirred in at the end of cooking {don't cook them in the beginning like you do with the shrimp}, to make it vegetarian/vegan.
Meme
Disclaimer: please follow your doctor's orders if you are recommended to eat a low-cholesterol diet
Wheeler says
This looks delicious! Looks like you had fun at Mardi Gras. Jealous 🙂
memeinge says
Thanks! It was soo much fun 🙂