This is one of those pasta dishes that you can almost classify as healthy. It has more spinach and mushrooms than pasta, and steamed shrimp is a great low-calorie addition. I used a touch of olive oil to sauté everything and just a touch of pecorino romano for flavoring. I chose to serve it with mafaldine, which I found was hearty enough to hold up to the toppings. It also made the dish seem much fancier than a fettuccine or linguine, but both would be a good substitute if you can get your hands on mafaldine.
Shrimp, Mushrooms, and Spinach over Mafaldine
Ingredients:
- 6 oz baby spinach, washed well
- 10 oz baby bellas, tough stems removed and thickly sliced
- 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb shrimp, deveined and shells removed
- 1-2 gloves garlic, minced
- pinch red pepper, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb mafaldine // fettuccine or linguine as a substitute
- lemon, zested and cut in half
- pecorino romano
- pepper & salt
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al denté. Drain reserving about 1/4 cup of the water. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir occasionally until shiny but not soft.
- Add shrimp, a touch of salt, red pepper, and the lemon zest. Cook until shrimp is just cooked through.
- Dump spinach into the pan and add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Place the lid on and steam for a couple of minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Shake the pan once or twice to keep it from burning.
- Remove the lid and add the juice from 1/2 of the lemon.
- Serve over the pasta. Top with a bit of pecorino romano and freshly ground pepper.