Shrimp and Pasta Kinda Like Alfredo But Not As Heavy As Alfredo And It Has Wine In It

Here’s what I made for dinner Tuesday...LAST Tuesday. It was ok but I made the corrections to the recipe so I can do it different next time. I think with these adjustments it would have been perfecto (using my Italian typing)! It was super easy too and took like 30 minutes. With saying that let me say that I DID NOT get this recipe from 30-Minute Meal Whore Rachel Ray (her legal name), nor did I plan it to take 30 minutes. Mike actually thought it up, I just enhanced it. I don’t have the name for it yet, but I thought about naming it “Shrimp and Pasta Kinda Like Alfredo But Not As Heavy As Alfredo And It Has Wine In It” but I think that’s too wordy….

Anyway, here’s the recipe:

5 tomatoes-diced (I used a can of diced tomatoes and it sucked-it was too mushy; use real tomatoes)
Basil leaves-stems removed (like whatever kind of bunch you have I don’t know like a handful of leaves. I just pulled from the bush and tore them; I don’t know how much it was).
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp-1Tbsp Italian seasoning (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp butter
½ C white wine (you don’t have to use wine but if you do-get a good wine that you would drink because the flavor concentrates when it reduces).
1 ½ C heavy cream (or you can use whole milk or creamer-don’t use skim or 2% milk)
1 C grated parmesan cheese
1 box of angel hair pasta (cook it like you would normally)
2 handfuls shredded mozzarella
1lb shrimp-peeled (you can use more-I used 2lbs and it wasn’t enough for 4-we likes skrimps!)

Preheat Broiler!

Combine tomatoes, basil, olive, oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and set aside (do this first because you want it to sit for as long as possible before you add them to the pasta-the longer it sits the better it tastes.)

In a skillet, melt butter and stir in white wine and bring it to a boil (so it reduces a little-don’t just put the sucker on high and go to the next step as soon as it boils). Add heavy cream and lower to a simmer. Let it reduce for about 5 minutes. As it simmers, add the parmesan cheese slowly while whisking-let it simmer for another 3 minutes, whisk it again and remove it from the heat. It will thicken as it cools. RESIST ADDING SALT OR ANY SEASONING because when everything reduces it will be too salty if you add it (a mistake I made). Add cooked and drained pasta and tomato concoction to skillet and toss the pasta to coat it in the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a serving platter (or casserole dish like I have-I’m so not fancy) and top it with mozzarella cheese.

Grill or sauté the shrimp and set them aside. (I sautéed them in melted butter, 1 ½ Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp dried parsley and ¾ tsp of Italian seasoning-cook them till only a little pink-not fully cooked. They will have carry-over cooking, plus in the next step they get cooked more.

Broil the pasta with the mozzarella cheese for a few minutes-til the cheese is melted and ooey-gooey.

Top the pasta with the shrimp. Garnish with extra basil if you have. (Enjoy!)