Even though I am not yet a mother and don’t yet have a little one who will be beckoning all my attention, I am still a HUGE fan of fast dinners. Whether it be my own version of A.D.D or just plain old impatience, I have never been a fan of recipes that require multiple steps, waiting long periods of time, and lists, upon lists, of crazy ingredients. I like SIMPLE. I love when I can just throw dinner together in 30 minutes or less, all while keeping it healthy and OF COURSE, tasty!

This recipe in particular has been one I personally crafted back in college and while studying abroad in London. Sure I wasn’t in that foreign of a place but being that I was broke and usually spending my time either in class or on adventures, I lived like any other student did…SIMPLE and on the fly.  So when it came to grocery shopping, I relied on the basics, stuck to what I knew and MOST IMPORTANTLY, stuck to what I could afford. Hence, came the birth of this cost effective BUT DELICIOUS recipe.

Since then, this recipe has definitely turned into a staple in our home and is actually one that has been most requested from both my husband and family. If I’m remembering correctly, I think this was the first meal I ever made for my husband back when we were dating. Yes people, this pasta dish is one of the many things that led to my happily ever after.

Anyway, without further adieu, I present you Simple Shrimp and Tomato Pasta….you’re welcome 🙂

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SHRIMP & TOMATO PASTA

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1/6
Calories Per Serving: 290  • Fat: 11g • Protein: 22g • Carb: 47g

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1.5 Lbs Large Raw Shrimp (Tail-Off, Peeled, Deveined)
• 1 Box Pasta (For this particular day, I used Barilla Veggie Penne)
• 1 White Onion
• 4 Large Tomatoes
• 3 Cups Chopped Spinach (Frozen or raw)
• 1 TBSP Garlic Powder
• 2 TBSP Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray (YES-I know its not organic!)
• 1 Cube Chicken Bouillon
• 1 Cup Water
• 2 tbsp Olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

• Dice the onion and tomatoes. Add the onion, tomatoes and olive oil to a large pot and sauté over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, or until the onions are clear and tomatoes appear sauce like.
• Once onion and tomatoes have cooked down to sauce-like consistency, add in water, spray butter, garlic powder and chicken bouillon cube. Cover and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
• While everything cooks together, wash and clean shrimp. For this particular dinner, I used frozen pre-cleaned shrimp so I was able to skip this step.
• Add in prepared shrimp to sauce and mix. Cover again and let cook together for another 10 minutes (a lot a little more time if you added in the shrimp when still frozen).
• Once all shrimp appear pink and well cooked, reduce heat to keep warm to allow for pasta to cook.
• Add the pasta to pot of boiling water, let cook until al dente (about 10 minutes).
• Combine pasta with sauce. Add salt and parmesan cheese to taste.
• Serve hot, and enjoy!

Dinner in less than 30 minutes? Can’t get any better than that!

xo, Mary