Before I had decided how to prepare the shrimp I had defrosted in the refrigerator, my husband suggested scampi with spaghetti. If there’s an opportunity for him to eat some pasta, he’s all for it. LOL. I love pasta too, but I try to limit the frequency to a couple times a week in favor of more nutrient dense foods. So if I’m going to make pasta as a main dish, I’m also thinking about how many vegetables I can add to it. Tomatoes are a no-brainer, right? How about roasted red bell pepper? I had already roasted and peeled a few the day before, so that was easy too. I don’t plan a weekly menu, but preparing some ingredients ahead of time that could be used in different ways often helps me get dinner on the table quickly while cooking without a recipe.
A salad of some kind is always welcome. Chopped cucumber, tomato and red onion dressed with garlic/lemon/olive oil is a delightful combination.
While I boiled the shrimp shells in water to make stock, I looked around for some more inspiration to make this dish a little more special. I had received as a gift a jar of tomato preserves with vanilla beans. Having no idea what I would use it for, I decided to add some to this dish. After sautéing the shrimp in a skillet with butter and a few cloves of minced garlic, I plopped a few tablespoons of tomato preserves in. Half a dozen Kalamata olives would balance its sweetness with some briny saltiness. Chopped tomatoes and sliced roasted pepper finished it off.
Sauce Ingredients:
- shrimp
- butter
- minced garlic
- tomato preserves
- roasted red pepper
- chopped tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- shrimp stock
Ready for more inspiration on cooking without a recipe using pasta and shrimp? Make Your Pasta Pretty in Pink.