SHRIMP A LA PENNE

If I could only emphasize how much I love pasta.... not only pasta but anything that has creamy, cheesy, wine sauce to it. Oh.... just thinking about it... Anyways. When I cook pasta I normally like to make chicken to serve with it. Today I wanted to do something a little different.... not red meat or pork.... but shrimp. This came out fantastic. I love one dish recipes and this was perfect...... The only thing I might change next time is to leave the shrimp alone after cooking it, and not cutting it up. My shrimp wasn't that big when I cooked it so cutting it up made it a little too small... IDK, just my 2 cents :) If anyone tries it without cutting the shrimp let me know how it came out. I would love to hear it.

Shrimp a la Penne

Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

This is what you will need:

• ¾ pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 a small Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ cup White Wine (or ½ cup chicken broth)
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Fresh Parsley, to taste
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

1. Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente

2. Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Let dry slightly on a paper towel.
3. Heat about 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

4. Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

5. Add 1 more tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. About 5 minutes.

6. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

7. Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined.

8. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
9. Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and/or about the same amount of chopped basil if you like.
10 .Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

11. ENJOY