Easy Shrimp Garden Pasta Recipe

The first time I had shrimp was when I was on a family trip on the Oregon coast.  We were staying in a little town called Bandon, which is one of the cutest and most lovely coastal towns! I was middle school age and we were at a little hole in the wall restaurant eating lunch. My mom got the shrimp cocktail and having never tried it before she let me have a bite. I’d like to say it was love at first bite, but my undeveloped taste buds did not enjoy this new taste or texture called shrimp. Thankfully though, several years later I gave it another try and absolutely loved it!

Have you guys ever tried something as a kid and didn’t like it, only to love it as an adult? These days my husband and I can eat shrimp like it’s going out of style!  We love it plain, in tacos like our mango chicken tacos or even pasta! What ways do you guys like to eat shrimp?

This recipe for shrimp pasta is delicious and filling!  For this dish, you can either go with the homemade pesto route but if you are in a hurry and don’t have fresh  pesto you can use store bought.

Shrimp Garden Pasta

Camila and Lisa

This pasta is perfect for summer time. It features shrimp, fresh veggies, feta cheese and whole wheat pasta in a light pesto sauce. It's easy to put together and simply finger-licking good!

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

  

• 8 oz whole wheat pasta I used Farfalle
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 8 oz shrimp uncooked, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups sugar peas cut into half an inch pieces
• 1- pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 2 oz feta cheese cubed
• 4 tablespoons pesto sauce

Instructions

 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Before draining, scoop out about 1 cup of pasta water. This water is starchy and will be a nice compliment to the texture of the sauce. Drain and reserve.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over shrimp (about ¼ teaspoon of each). Set aside.
• On a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add garlic, peas and tomatoes to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add cooked pasta  and shrimp to skillet with vegetables. Add 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water, the pesto sauce and stir. If you feel like it’s a bit dry, add more pasta water. Add feta cheese and serve.

Notes

Making a big batch of homemade pesto and pouring it into an ice cube tray to freeze is super handy! Once the sauce is frozen, remove the cubes from the tray and store them in a ziploc bag in your freezer. Frozen pesto can be a life saver as well as a huge improvement to many dishes. From sandwiches to pasta or chicken dishes, simply grab a cube of pesto, melt into your dish and voila, you have added a fancy homemade touch to your meal in no time.