So this is the third Suppertime Save in my little series on weekday suppers that can be pulled together with staple ingredients in very little time. If you missed the first two, they were Cheater Chicken Parmesan and Easiest Sweet & Sour Meatballs. This one is for Garlic Shrimp with pasta and stir-fried vegetables…a complete meal in 20 minutes. It’s ever-so-slightly more sophisticated tastes, but I know you’re out there too and need a quick meal on the table sometimes. Families with picky eaters will have the shrimp or the snow peas left at the side of the plate…under the plate?…under the table? No reason not to give it a try once in a while.
This recipe is adapted from this More Time Moms Family Meals cookbook. Some of you will be familiar with the More Time Moms family organizers. This is from the same company. Following the complete meal plan for just a couple of weeks really changed the way I grocery shopped, especially for fruits and veg, as it strictly follows the Canada Food Guide. Garlic Shrimp is based on the Week One (one of my favourites) Wednesday menu. There are also smartphone apps that let you take parts of the cookbook on the go. They’re worth checking out to see if they suit your style.
It’s basically a stove-top dinner but requires little to no prep, so you’ll spend 20 minutes standing at the stove stirring. Assemble a large pot, a medium and a large skillet and all the ingredients. Shrimp, spaghetti, baby carrots, snow peas, canola oil, olive oil, garlic, hot pepper flakes, dried parsley, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice and white wine (optional not optional). And if you’re a tiny bit organized you’ll have remembered to take the bag of shrimp out of the freezer in the morning and into the fridge to thaw. If not you’ll start out by emptying the bag into a colander and running cold water over the shrimp till they thaw. It doesn’t take long.
Start by putting a large pot of salted water on to boil for the spaghetti. Then you’ll want to get the baby carrots started. You should buy the thinnest ones you can find and they’ll cook more quickly, but the longer they take the more of a caramelized flavour they’ll have so it’s good either way. Heat up a tablespoon of canola oil in the medium skillet, sauté a teaspoon of garlic (I buy the jars of minced garlic to save time here) then add a bag of baby carrots. Stir them occasionally as you go. Add the pasta to the boiling water. You know how much spaghetti your family will eat. I use about 2/3 of a 500 gram package, about 350 grams I guess, to feed five. Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes till al dente, then drain and set aside. Don’t forget about your carrots and give them a frequent stir.
Add the bag of snow peas to the skillet and stir again. After a few minutes remove from heat. In the larger skillet heat the second tablespoon of canola oil and sauté a teaspoon of minced garlic with a teaspoon of hot pepper flakes (or more or less to taste). Add the shrimp and stir-fry just until they are cooked through and pink.
Add in three tablespoons of white wine. Three tablespoons? you’re asking. So I keep a box of white wine in our cold room for exactly this kind of recipe, when you need just a splash or some other small amount and do you really open a new bottle just for that? No. You use the boxed wine in your cold cellar. I’m hoping that’s not weird. Personally I think it’s genius. So what if the cold cellar is right beside my craft space.
Add the reserved pasta to the shrimp, drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil, two tablespoons of concentrated lemon juice and the remaining seasonings. Toss to combine.
Serve with the sautéed vegetables and enjoy. Here's the recipe card you can print and/or pin for later:
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