Shrimp Nicole

Pasta covered in a rich and creamy spinach artichoke sauce, topped with shrimp that's deliciously satisfying

The other day I was working at a health fair in Lafayette, Louisiana and one of the nurses was talking about food from the restaurants around us.

I was beyond starving, so I literally hung on every word of hers to try and live vicariously through her memory of the delicious food she was describing.

Things like crawfish nachos, crawfish fried rice, and shrimp pasta were ones that really got my mouth watering.

At this point, I really thought my stomach was going to eat itself. I mean, it had been almost 8 hours since my last meal at 4 AM that morning (I had to leave my house at 4:30 ew), so you can only imagine how hungry I was.

About 30 minutes later, they served us sandwiches for lunch... I am so not a sandwich lover. Yes, I love a good sandwich, but most sandwiches are mediocre at best in my opinion.

It was a wee bit disappointing, but I knew I'd soon be making that shrimp pasta she described. The crawfish nachos & fried rice some amazing, but I decided I needed to make that shrimp pasta.

It's not just any old shrimp pasta. It's pasta topped with a spinach-artichoke sauce and grilled shrimp. Uh, yum!

When I got home many hours later, I found the shrimp pasta she was talking about... It's from a pizza place called Deano's Pizza, which sorta made me laugh because I was not expecting a pizza place.

Who cares though because this idea turned out magical.

I don't know who Nicole is, but whoever she is, she's a smart lady. Topping pasta with a sauce that is basically spinach artichoke dip is a really good idea. Really really good idea. Add some shrimp and you've got a culinary masterpiece.

If you're crazy you don't like shrimp or can't eat it, then you can certainly use chicken. I love love love seafood, so I used shrimp.

This tastes so far from healthy but it's not. It's filled with veggies, fiber, and protein - woo!

So thank you Deano's Pizza for your Shrimp Nicole as inspiration for this tasty shrimp pasta dish

Shrimp Nicole

Pasta covered in a rich and creamy spinach artichoke sauce, topped with shrimp that's deliciously satisfying

Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 2

Author: Meme

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 tsp butter
• ▢ 6 oz raw shrimp peeled
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 medium onion diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1/2 TBSP flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup milk not skim
• ▢ 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• ▢ 3/4 cup quartered artichoke hearts chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded
• ▢ 3 oz spaghetti whole grain

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Once the butter melts, add the shrimp to the skillet.
• Sprinkle with salt & pepper and all purpose seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until pink; don't overcook. Take out of skillet and set aside.
• Add the onions to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes until softened.
• Add in the garlic & flour and stir for 30 seconds.
• Slowly pour in the milk while stirring. Let the mixture simmer for about 2 minutes or until it thickens.
• Meanwhile, fill a pot with water & bring to a boil. Cook pasta for about 6-8 minutes. Drain but reserve about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water.
• Add in the spinach when the mixture has thickened a little. Once the spinach is cooked, carefully stir in the artichoke hearts then the yogurt and mozzarella. Turn the heat to very low.
• After the pasta is cooked, add some of the cooking water to the sauce mixture to thin it to your desired consistency.
• Plate the pasta and top with the sauce & the cooked shrimp. Enjoy!

Notes

*The frozen spinach was from a 16 oz. bag, and there's no need to thaw it before adding it to the skillet

*The artichoke hearts are from a 13.75 oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

Have a nice weekend!

Meme