A Squared: Red Pepper, Tomato, & Shrimp Farfalle

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Red Pepper, Tomato, & Shrimp Farfalle

I hope you're not tired of pasta recipes yet because we are still chugging through Pasta Week here on A Squared. Today I am sharing a light and easy pasta dinner perfect for seafood lovers or vegetarians-- just leave off the shrimp and you have a great vegetarian dinner! I served mine with the spinach & chive farfalle that we made at Pasta Puttana, but standard farfalle (or any other short cut pasta) will work just as well.


This pasta dish is a very loose interpretation of a shrimp scampi. I love that white wine and butter flavor combination with shrimp and pasta, but a traditional scampi isn't really my thing-- it's a little boring and the sauce can often be really thick and heavy. So, I decided to take those basic flavors and brighten them up using acidic punches from tomatoes and peppers instead of your standard lemon juice. A little sun-dried tomato paste and pinch of red pepper flakes are the keys to really taking the flavor to the "next level" here. Sidenote: I hate when people use the phrase "taking it to the next level," but felt it appropriate here.


Another sidenote: The shrimp doesn't necessarily have to be cooked separately, but that's how we do it here. My husband is allergic to shrimp, so I grill up scallops for him and shrimp for me separate from the pasta and sauce to avoid cross-contamination. If you wanted to add the shrimp right into the sauce, I would recommend searing it first before the veggies, transferring to plate, and then adding back into the sauce for the last 2 minutes of cooking.


Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cups dry white wine
  • 1/2 Tbs. sun-dried tomato paste
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup grape tomatoes
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp. dry parsley flakes
  • 1-1/2 Tbs. butter
  • 2 cups farfalle pasta, cooked
  • 1/3 lb. shrimp, cooked or grilled

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and peppers to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce heat and simmer for 6-7 minutes. Stir in sun-dried tomato paste and pepper flakes and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the grape tomatoes to the pan and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes until some of the tomatoes begin to burst.

Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir in butter until it melts and then toss the pasta in the mixture.

Serve with cooked shrimp.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...