Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta

This delicious shrimp and fettuccine pasta recipe is adapted from something a friend made at dinner. Interestingly, she picked up the recipe from her Health Insurance website! I modified the recipe to suit mine and my husband’s tastes. It’s really simple to make and takes around 30 mins to prepare. Hope you like it too!

(Tip for vegetarians: check the modified recipe at the bottom!)

You will need:

* 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato bits

* 1 cup boiling water

* 6 ounces Fettuccine pasta

* 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

* 1 clove Garlic, minced

* 10 ounces of cleaned and deveined raw or cooked shrimp

* 1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano

* 1 cup chopped Spinach

* 2 tablespoons chopped pitted Kalamata olives

* 1 teaspoon drained capers

* 1/4 cup grated Mozzarella or Feta cheese, whatever you prefer

Method:

• Put the tomato bits in boiling water and let it stand for 10-15 mins.  Then, drain the tomato bits and reserve 1/4 cup of the water.
• While the tomato bits soak, cook the pasta. Cook it for as long as you want, depending on the way you like it. Otherwise, follow the instructions on the packet for Al dente consistency. After it is cooked, drain and keep warm.
• While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large utensil on medium-low heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. (If you have cooked shrimp, start this step about 10 minutes after the pasta have started to boil)
• Then add the shrimp and oregano and sauté for 2 minutes or until the raw shrimp is cooked. If using cooked shrimp, sauté for about a minute.
• Now pour in the reserved tomato liquid. Boil for 2 minutes. If using cooked shrimp, be careful not to overcook them. The tighter they curl in, the more they get cooked.
• Remove from heat and now stir in the spinach to wilt-in, along with the olives, capers and tomato bits.
• Finally, toss this mixture with the cooked pasta. While still hot, mix in the Feta or Mozzarella cheese.
• Mix well and serve immediately. Yum!

For Vegetarians:

After cooking the garlic in the olive oil, turn off heat when garlic begins melting in the oil. Wilt in the spinach in the pan, and then add all other ingredients like above. Mix in with the pasta and serve.