Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

Does anyone remember that old Rice Krispy treat commercial from the early 90's?  The one where the kids and husband are yelling for the mom to finish cooking and she's reading a novel, enjoying the completed dessert.  Then she shakes out her hair, dusts flour on her face and a sprinkling of fish bowl water before taking her family the beloved treats. Clearly her implication is she slaaaaaaaaved in the kitchen for them.

I think about this commercial a lot because it's in a way applicable to my style of cooking.  Sometimes I get the impression that others see my cooking style and schedule as complicated and nearly impossible to duplicate.  That is sooooo not the case though!! I do my very best to find recipes that are easy and can quickly be thrown together in under an hour.  It is so much fun to find a recipe that sounds fancy and complicated, only to realize it calls for a few basic ingredients and comes together in 15-20 minutes.

This pasta dish is like that.

I like to use whole wheat pasta.

You may notice that I'm experimenting more with lemon flavors lately  Two reasons for that... 1) I happen to like a bright lemony flavor.  I think it makes a dish taste fresh and summery.  And 2), though this is the main reason actually, Gavin loves lemons.  He will seriously order extra lemon slices at a restaurant and eat them straight.  No sugar or anything; just lemon.  And yes, it's hysterical to hear my 3-year-old politely order a glass of ice water with sliced lemon on the side.

Hello shrimp, prepare to be roasted!

Anyway, back to cooking...  I found this recipe and thought I'd give it a shot since it combined lots of lemony flavor with a very short & basic list of ingredients, plus a fast cooking time.  Can't go wrong with that right?

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

2 lbs frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled, & deveined
Olive oil
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper
1 lb angel hair or thin spaghetti
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Zest and juice of two lemons

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.


2.  Preheat oven to 400.  On a cookie sheet, toss together the shrimp with a couple tablespoons of oil, some salt and pepper.  Roast until the shrimp turns pink, about 6-8 minutes.

Look at those pink cuties!

3.  In a large bowl, add the zest and juice of two lemons with the melted butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.  Whisk to combine.  Add the hot pasta and toss to coat.  Pour in some of the pasta water if the noodles seem too dry.  Add the shrimp and serve with shredded Parmesan.

Don't have a micro plane?  Get one.  They're AWESOME

Yummy, yummy, yummy pasta and shrimp

I reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaally liked this dish.  It was so easy to make and I liked that bright, intense lemon flavor.  I liked the freshness of it, the lightness of it.  Even Rob enjoyed it!  Gavin.....well, he took a bit more convincing.  He ate the pasta right away.  But after pushing the lonely shrimp I gave him around his plate for an hour (not kidding, an entire hour), he finally ate it and declared "I like it! Buuuut, it's kinda weird."  *sigh*  Oh well, I guess that's a 3-year-old for you.  At least he ate it and I think I might have a shot of getting him to eat more shrimp in the future.  And honestly, that's all I'm looking for at this point.