I know it’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted last, but don’t worry, I’m not dead! My schedule at work is variable and recently I have been working later than usual and don’t really feel up to writing blog posts/editing pictures come 9 o’clock at night. I am still cooking and snapping away, and have some great recipes on the docket for next month. I figured I would come back strong with a recipe that was full of flavor and used mainly ingredients we all have in our pantry. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t have clam juice. With a quick stop at the store, I had all the things necessary to start making this dish.
I used to be a canned sauce kinda guy, but recently Brittany has been requesting that we make our own to see what we could come up with. I found this recipe at foodnetwork.com and it seemed to be quite simple. We made our own changes of coarse to bump up the spice and I must say that we made a good choice.
I recently saw a video that Tasty did that resembled this recipe, but they cooked the pasta in with the sauce… You can do that if you want, just know that you are wrong, and should probably let someone else cook… Instead make sure to cook your noodles separately and in a pot of salted water to get the best results.
We were quite pleased with the results, and it even looked pretty too! So if you find yourself in my shoes this week, (coming home late and don’t want to spend eternity in the kitchen), give this one a try and open your world up to home-made sauces!
Spicy Shrimp with Penne Pasta and Herbed Cream Sauce
Notes
you can either use white wine, or sub white cooking wine like we did, just be sure to omit the added salt.
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup white wine (we used cooking wine and omitted the salt)
- 1/3 cup clam juice
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.
- Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp, the cooked pasta, and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.