The point is, I've been doing a poor job of creating dishes and updating the blog. But here I am, back again, with a dish that took very little time to prepare and packed lots of delicious and healthy flavor.
The afternoon before I made this for Ram, I indulged in a shrimp pasta dish at the Olive Garden. After rolling myself out of the restaurant, I decided I would give this dish a whirl of my own, supplementing the original concoction with added vegetables and controlled ingredients.
I started by sauteing onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, carrot, and celery. I let them get nice and brown, and the smell of the "holy trinity" of cooking was unmistakable. I added some diced tomatoes (diced by yours truly, not out of the can) and the shrimp (which was already pre-cooked). I added about a half-cup of pasta sauce (I've been in the nostalgic mood for Prego lately, and they sell a heart-healthy, all-natural variety that I'm allowing into our diet) and a ladle-full of pasta water (pasta already boiling away on the stove at this point). I let the shrimp/vegetable/tomato mixture work together until the pasta was done to my liking, at which time I drained the penne (so much easier to eat than spaghetti and her cousins) and added it to the sauce.
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Cooking the pasta in the sauce mixture gives it a minute to soak in the flavors, and every bite is certain to burst with the rich taste of the sauce. This dish tasted great, and it was a healthier version of the one I devoured for lunch. I controlled the ingredients, I added more vegetables (and organic, whole-grain pasta), and (if we were so inclined) we could control the portion size too. It's a fast and delicious addition to our menu. This could also easily be made with chicken (saute a little longer than the pre-cooked shrimp) or as a vegetarian dish.
I hope your holiday season is full of delicious and made-with-love dishes. Enjoy-- with fork in hand.
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