Shrimp Linguine with Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Alfredo pasta with seared shrimp in a cream sauce with red peppers, mushrooms, and freshly chopped basil.
This one is for my OG followers from Millennial Meets Stove, enjoy!
One of my family’s favorite comfort meal is shrimp alfredo pasta. The best part is that they will eat it any way that I make it and my mom even visits the blog to make it when I’m not home. My favorite thing to do is go through my refrigerator and gather as many ingredients as I can to make the best pasta. This week I’m sharing one of my favorite alfredo recipes- seared shrimp in a creamy cream sauce with red peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Feel free to add freshly chopped spinach or spinach for a little green iron intake. If you have reservations against shellfish, feel free to make it without chicken or salmon, and it’s even good with no protein at all!
Remember, the flavor is everything! I try to collect as much flavor as I cook so I suggest cooking this dish in one pan. I have a large, deep frying pan. I start off by sauteing my x-large (or large) deveined cleaned raw shrimp. I always suggest for people to cook raw shrimp to prevent overcooking and shell on to create a deep flavor. If you are not a fan of shrimp with shells, cook them in the shell and remove the shells before placing them back into the pasta at the end. In this recipe, you will also learn my favorite alfredo sauce recipe which includes four basic ingredients: butter, chopped or minced garlic, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. If you’re feeling fancy, I like to add mozzarella and other Italian cheeses. This by far is the easiest alfredo sauce to make and will never let you look back at jarred sauce!
What You Need:
5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 lb Raw Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Salt to taste
black pepper to taste
2 tbsp Fresh Garlic, minced or chopped
3/4 cup Roasted Red Tomatoes, julienned
1 cup Yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup Fresh Mushrooms, your pick (I like portobellos), roughly chopped
3 to 4 cups Heavy Cream, room temperature
1 3/4 cups Fresh Parmesan, grated or shredded
1/2 to 1 cup Fresh Basil, chiffonade, or long thin strips similar to shredded lettuce
Shredded Parmesan, for garnish
Chopped Basil or Parsley, for garnish
What to Do:
Before starting my protein, I like to season my shrimp and start the pasta water. I like to season my shrimp with sea salt, black pepper, paprika (smoked, if I have it on hand), and granulated onion or garlic. You can also season chicken and salmon this way. Be sure to add two to three teaspoons of salt to your water when boiling the pasta. I also bring the water to a boil and then add my pasta. Drain your pasta because we don't want it to be mushy!
Heat 3 tbsp of butter or oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add raw shrimp to the pan once the butter has melted and cook until both sides are just the slightest of pink. We will add them back into the pasta at the end so let's be sure not to overcook. Once they are pink, remove them from the pan and set them aside until further instructed.
Heat 2 tbsps of butter or oil in the same pan. Add 2 tbsp of fresh garlic to the melted butter and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add in red peppers and cook until soft or for about 5 to 6 minutes. Be sure to stir so that they are fully covered in the garlic and cook evenly. Add olive or vegetable oil if you find that they are not covered.
Add in roasted red tomatoes, yellow onions, and mushrooms and cook uncovered until all are fork soft and lightly browned. This is key for ensuring that your onions and peppers are soft. No one wants crunchy onions in pasta.
Add cream to the cooked veggies and bring to a boil. Be sure to stir the sauce with a spatula or spoon that is wooden or silicone to scrape the bottom and collect all of the brown bits. That's where all of the flavors are. This is a great time to remove the tails from your shrimp if you haven't and want.
Once the sauce has come to a boil, add fresh cheese and stir until the sauce has thickened to your preference. I like to add the cooked shrimp back into the pasta at this time along with fresh basil or spinach and simmer covered.
After five to seven minutes, add pasta to pepper cream sauce or ladle/spoon sauce over cooked pasta. Serve hot and garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.