Creamy Shrimp and Broccoli Pasta
This meal comes together in less than 30 minutes! It's creamy and cheesy with the perfect texture and flavor from the broccoli and shrimp. Save this for your weekly dinner rotation!
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets + 1 tablespoon water
- Reserved pasta water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmegiano cheese finely grated
- 1 lb your favorite pasta variety 454 g
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: chili flakes for added heat as a garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and let boil until ready to cook pasta.
- In a large sauté pan on medium heat add: 1 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, and broccoli. Sauté about 2 minutes until broccoli is tender yet still a bit crunchy. Season with salt. Add water and cover with lid. Cook for 8 minutes until broccoli is soft, but not mushy.
- Season shrimp with salt. Add remaining olive oil to pan heat to medium- high. Add shrimp and cook about 4 minutes- 2 minutes per side (depending on size of shrimp)- do not overcook shrimp. They will be slightly undercooked at this point.
- Turn down heat to low-simmer. Add cream and cheese. Slowly stir and simmer shrimp in cream and cheese for an additional 1-2 minutes until firm and cooked. Turn off heat.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions- "al dente". Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before straining.
- Drain pasta. Add to pan with shrimp and cream sauce. Add reserved pasta water. Stir until combined. Toss in broccoli and serve hot! Add a little cheese on top before serving.
Notes
- You can use any shrimp variety with this dish: small, large, tail on/off, whichever you prefer works well.
- Sear or sauté shrimp on high heat. It gives them the best texture, juicy and tender, without any stringy chewiness.
- Spread them out in one layer, across the bottom of the pan, it is best not to overlap shrimp or they will not cook evenly.
Nutrition
Calories: 897kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 267mg | Sodium: 574mg | Potassium: 782mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1354IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 456mg | Iron: 3mg
