Pasta with shrimp and vegetables

An easy and flavourful meal!

This dish began as a ‘clean out the fridge’ meal but has quickly become a favourite we prepare often. For those who don’t prefer shrimp, you can substitute with cooked chicken or simply omit for a vegetarian version. Feel free to experiment with add-ins such as diced zucchini, sliced black olives, mushrooms or whatever you like.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt, dried basil, dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon each ground black pepper, red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) white wine or chicken broth
• 1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 small can (398 mL/13.5 oz) cherry tomatoes *
• Pinch baking soda
• 16-20 medium-large shrimp, thawed if needed then peeled and deveined
• 225 g (8 oz) fresh or dried spaghetti
• Chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan, to garnish

*I like the Mutti brand of canned cherry tomatoes – they have a fabulously sweet flavour and hold their shape quite well. If you can’t find this brand, use 398 mL / 1.6 cups of canned diced tomatoes instead.

Method

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• While water comes to a boil, over medium heat, warm the olive oil in a skillet large enough to hold the sauce plus the cooked pasta. Add onions and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add garlic; reduce heat to medium-low and sauté 3 minutes more.
• Stir in salt, basil, oregano, pepper and red pepper flakes. Increase heat to medium and stir in wine. Let liquid come to a boil then add yellow pepper, tomatoes and a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the tomatoes’ acidity. Cover and let come to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and place shrimp on top of tomatoes; place lid back on skillet and let simmer until shrimp is cooked (4-6 minutes, depending upon size of shrimp). Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup (250 mL) of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
• Add drained pasta to the sauce in the skillet, stirring gently to blend. Add 4 – 6 tablespoons (60-90 mL) of the starchy pasta water; stir to combine. Add more pasta water as needed to achieve the consistency of sauce you prefer. Reserve any remaining pasta water for reheating leftovers, if needed.
• Transfer the pasta and sauce to broad bowls. Garnish with parsley and parmesan; serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.