A Squared: What's For Dinner Wednesday: Spicy Roasted Tomato & Pepper Pasta with Shrimp

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Spicy Roasted Tomato & Pepper Pasta with Shrimp

I know I've mentioned here before that I love weekly meal planning. It's keeps us eating healthy at home, on a budget, and from encountering complete chaos when we get to the grocery store. Normally I come up with a list of recipe standbys, new ones I'd like to experiment with (and share here with you), and maybe something I found in a magazine or Pinterest that I want to try. Usually if I ask Alex for suggestions he digs into his repertoire of favorite dishes as a suggestion: pizza, tacos, burgers, angel hair pasta with meatballs (always angel hair and bonus points for beef, not turkey meatballs), salad with some kind of grilled meat. I usually indulge one of these each week because I love him, but sometimes he gets creative with his suggestions and throws me for a loop. On our way home from a recent trip I asked him for a dinner suggestion for that night-- and specified that I wanted something light after a weekend full of barbecue and booze. He suggested shrimp and scallops with pasta. Finally, a suggestion that's right up my alley!


This dish is the perfect summer pasta meal: flavorful, filling, and light. Roasting the vegetables in dry white wine gives them a deep flavor and really nice sweetness that compliments the simply sautéed shellfish really nicely. I also love the addition of NatureSweet tomatoes to this mixture. They're bite size and don't require any slicing before cooking. Roasting the whole tomatoes makes them extra juicy and a few of them will burst throughout the cooking process, creating a bit of a natural "sauce" for this light pasta dish. I love to use NatureSweet SunBursts for their gorgeous orange color against the red peppers. I've always got their Cherub grape tomatoes on hand though and they work just as well. Crushed red pepper flakes add a really nice kick of heat to this somewhat sweet veggie mixture.


The recipe I'm including here features shrimp, which is my go to seafood for this tasty pasta dish. My husband is allergic though, so I usually prepare scallops for him instead which you could also do. Or skip the seafood and top with a little grated Parmesan for a meatless meal!



Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbs. Olive oil, divided
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch dice
  • 6 cipollini onions, peeled and quartered *If you can't find cipollini onions, 1/2 cup of Vidalia onions cut into 1-inch dice will work too
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 10 oz. Sunsweet Cherub and/or Sunburst tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • Zest of 1 lemon, divided
  • 6 oz. angel hair pasta, cooked
  • 1 Tbs. Butter
  • 1/2 lb. peeled deveined shrimp
  • 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine 1 Tbs. Olive oil with red pepper, onions, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. To the pan of peppers and onions, add tomatoes, wine, and half of the lemon zest. Toss to combine. Put the mixture back in the oven to roast for an additional 15 minutes. Some of the tomatoes will have burst and others will be soft-- this is what you're looking for.

Remove from oven and add the pepper and tomato mixture to a large bowl along with the cooked pasta and the butter. Toss gently to combine.

Meanwhile, rinse the shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Place shrimp in a medium (non-metal) bowl. Add 1 Tbs. Olive oil, remaining lemon zest, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon juice. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and lightly grease the grates. Place shrimp on the pan in one even layer. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until shrimp turns pink and curls up. Remove from heat.

Plate the pasta. Sprinkle with fresh basil and add shrimp to the plate. Serve and enjoy!


Editor's Note: Product samples were provided by NatureSweet at no cost to facilitate this post. The opinions expressed herein-- as always-- are my own.


A Squared

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