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Week of 8/4/14 {Favorites Week}

Pesto Spaghetti with Shrimp
and house salad with French vinaigrette

Active: 35 min Total: 35 min
Original
Pesto Spaghetti with Shrimp
Folks were such a fan of our creamy pesto (thanks to avocado) that we're bringing it back for favorites week. Enjoy fresh pestos while it's still summer!
Smarts: Pesto can freeze so if you have a lot of basil in your garden, feel free to pesto-fy it all before the season ends.
Dependency
Portobello Pesto Pizzas
Proteins
Shellfish
Cuisines
European - Mediterranean
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59

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Pesto Spaghetti with Shrimp:
  • Shrimp - 1 lb , shelled and deveined
  • Spaghetti - 1/2 lb ((Sub fettuccine, linguine if you prefer))
  • Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp
  • Peas - 1 1/2 cups
  • Homemade pesto - 2/3 cup ((Ingredients listed separately))
  • Lemon - 1 , juice of
House Salad with French Vinaigrette:
  • Tomatoes - 2 , chopped ((1 large or 2 small))
  • Cucumbers - 1/2 lb , chopped
  • Honey - 1 tsp
  • Dijon mustard - 1 tsp
  • Sherry or red wine vinegar - 1 1/2 Tbsp
  • Olive oil - 2 Tbsp
  • Mixed greens - 6 oz
Basil Pesto (makes ~1 cup):
  • Pine nuts - 3 Tbsp ((Sub walnuts if you're on a budget))
  • Basil - 3 cups , loosely packed
  • Garlic - 1 clove , peeled
  • Avocado (small) - 1/2
  • Olive oil - 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Prep

  1. Pine nuts (optional step) - Toast in a frying pan over medium-high heat until golden brown. It's also completely fine to skip this step.
  2. Make pesto (this makes enough for tomorrow night) - Combine pine nuts, basil, garlic, and avocado in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are broken up. Drizzle in olive oil, while keeping food processor on, until you get a sauce-like consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve ⅓ for tomorrow’s dinner. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
  3. Shrimp - Defrost, rinse, and dry.
  4. Tomatoes / Cucumbers - Prep as directed.

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Make

  1. Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but not soggy.
  2. This takes a bit of timing, but heat up a saute pan over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes before pasta is done. Add cooking oil to saute pan and then shrimp to pan. Toss until pink on the outside.
  3. Once pasta is done, use tongs to transfer cooked pasta directly from saucepan into saute pan (don’t toss pasta water just yet). Add in peas and pesto. Toss until everything is coated nicely and shrimp is cooked through. If you want your sauce to be ‘saucier’ just add a few tablespoons of pasta water. Remove from heat and finish with lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Whisk together honey, Dijon, vinegar, and olive oil (double if making tomorrow’s dinner). Toss with tomatoes, cucumbers, and mixed greens. Enjoy with pasta.

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