Weeknight dinners are no easy feat. When I’m on a meal-planning kick and do my grocery shopping, all is right in the world. But then there are those weeks – or months – where you do a quick shop every other day just to get dinner on the table. It’s been one of those months.

easy weeknight recipes

I was all set to make those delicious crispy, garlicky shrimp from a few weeks back, but my husband was really craving pasta. And, being the carb fiend that I am, I caved. When I started to think about linguine coated in butter and cheese tossed with fresh tomatoes and garlic-sauteed shrimp…well I knew I was helpless. So I made a double-batch instead of the single serving I had planned.

You won’t regret this dinner. Serve it with a side salad if you want to feel a bit more virtuous and, if you manage to have more shrimp than you need, they’re great for lunch the next day!

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Quick, Creamy Shrimp Linguine
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Recipe type: Dinner
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Cook time: 
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This easy weeknight meal feels decadent like Shrimp Alfredo but without all of the cream and extra calories. You could easily mix in greens - like sauteed spinach, kale or arugula - for an extra dose of delicious.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb shrimp, frozen or fresh
  • linguine pasta
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • salt
  • black pepper (freshly-ground is best!)
Instructions
  1. Thaw shrimp if needed by running cold water over them in a colander for 5 minutes or until pliable
  2. Boil a pot of salted water - it should taste like the sea - and measure out your servings of pasta
  3. When the water reaches a rapid boil, drop in the linguine and cook until al dente
  4. While the linguine is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook garlic until fragrant
  5. Pat shrimp dry and add them to the skillet, cooking until bright pink. Remove from heat.
  6. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water (liquid, starchy gold!) then drain.
  7. Return pasta to the pot and stir in butter until melted and coating each strand. Feel free to add in a bit more if the pasta is not coated.
  8. Add grated parmesan to the pot and stir to melt, adding in pasta water to emulsify and turn the butter and parmesan into a sauce.
  9. Grind fresh black pepper to taste over the pasta and combine. Add diced tomatoes then stir in the cooked shrimp.
  10. Plate and enjoy! You might like to top it with a bit more ground black pepper or even a drizzle of olive oil.

Easy, right? Let me know how you like it! xo

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