One Pot Shrimp and Veggie Pasta in a Creamy Parmesan Sauce

Being that it's summer and all, I wanted to make shrimp skewers on the grill for dinner tonight.  However, my plans were rudely interrupted by a lack of propane.  Then I thought, I guess shrimp scampi it is!  But to my dismay, we had no butter. And anyone who's made shrimp scampi before knows butter is the holy grail of scampi.  Well dang!  What the heck am I gonna make with all this defrosted shrimp?! Ah- ha! I have heavy cream and parmesan cheese. I suppose I could make a creamy cheese sauce of sorts.  I wasn't sure what I was in for, but I was hoping in 15 minutes I'd have something edible.  Otherwise, it was gonna be a Domino's kinda night.

I'd heard of making these one pot pasta dishes, but really wasn't sure about the idea.  But, I figured if I was gonna pull something out of my magic hat, I might as well go all the way.  So I stumbled through my freezer and crisper and came across some frozen green beans, frozen onion bell pepper mixed veggies, and fresh mushrooms.  Hmmm... How bad could it be, right?! 

I used my dutch oven on the stove and filled it with about 3- 3 1/2 cups of water. I chopped my mushrooms (half the package), poured in my frozen veggies (half of each bag), and tossed in my whole wheat pasta (about a third of the package). 

I searched through my spice cabinet and finally came across a small container of tyme.  This should work.  I didn't measure, but would estimate I used about 1 tsp of dried tyme.  It still needs something else, but what?... I know!  Scampi always uses a lot of garlic!  I added about 4 tsp of minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste and then turned on the heat to high.  I stirred it all together and let it reach a boil.  Then turned the heat to medium and let it all simmer for about 8-10mins, watching to make sure I didn't let all of the water evaporate.  

Bringing to a boil.

Once my pasta noodles were cooked, I tossed in my cooked and defrosted shrimp.  I mixed them up and allowed them to gently heat on the stove for only about a minute. Once they were heated through, I turned off the heat and made my sauce.

Heating my shrimp.

I poured in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and added 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese.  (I'm sure freshly grated would have been best, but I used the canned stuff I had on hand.) I mixed the cream and cheese well and was sure everything was coated nicely.  Then, I let it sit for about 3-5mins to allow the sauce to thicken. 

Allowing my sauce to thicken.

Finally, I scooped a nice helping onto my plate, sprinkled with more parmesan and garnished with a touch of parsley. I took my first bite, and O. M. G. that was good!!  Seriously?!  How in the world did I come up with this?!! I can't wait for my fiance to get home from softball and give it a try!  I even packed him and his buddy at work a serving.  His buddy Dave has gotten quite used to me packing them lunches.  Every few days, he asks what new meal they'll be getting this time.  Typically I stick to my tried and true weekly recipes, but I really enjoy getting creative and thinking out of the box from time to time.  It doesn't always work out, but when it does... it's a beautiful day in the clean life.

Isn't it purdy? 

Can you smell it? 

One Pot Shrimp and Veggie Pasta in a Creamy Parmesan Sauce
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins


Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 lb Spaghetti

1 lb Mushrooms
1/2 bag Frozen Green Beans
1/2 bag Frozen Fire Roasted Onions and Bell Pepper Mixture (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
4 tsp Minced Garlic
2 tsp Tyme
Salt to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste
1/2 lb Cooked Shrimp
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
3/4 cup Parmesan, Grated

Directions:

In a stock pot or Dutch Oven add water, spaghetti, mushrooms, frozen veggies, garlic, and spices. Heat on High and mix, bringing to a boil.  Once boiling, turn down heat to Medium and let simmer uncovered for about 8-10mins.

You don't want all of your water to evaporate, but you do want the majority of it to reduce.  Be careful not to overcook your noodles. Once noodles are cooked, turn down heat to Low and add shrimp. Mix well and allow shrimp to heat through for only about 35 sec - 1 min.

Turn off heat and stir in cream and parmesan, making sure to incorporate them well. Remove pot from heat, uncovered, and allow sauce to thicken for 3-5 mins.

Serve and garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and parsley.

Enjoy!