This Shrimp and Tomato Linguini is simple and tasty; plus, it includes two of our household favorites: tomatoes and shrimp. It's also fairly light, depending on how much parmesan cheese you decide to add. My kids were especially interested in helping to cook this one, mainly because they wanted to watch the shrimp turn pink.
Cheese and Grape Tomatoes for the Win!
Naturally, my daughter loves snacking on cheese, the fact of which was a huge incentive for her to hang around and help. The kids had never tried cooked, grape tomatoes and I think they were pleasantly surprised with their warm "burst" of flavor.
If you plan on doing the Noodly Shrimp Craft, set aside a few uncooked noodles before you start cooking.
Worth noting: this meal only requires two pots/pans, and that means less mess! Enjoy!
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How kids can help make Shrimp & Tomato Linguini
This dish involves many kid-friendly tasks. Here are some ways for your lil' sous chefs to help out:
- Taste! Ask kids to taste the noodles to check and see if they're done cooking.
- Stir Shrimp as it cooks. Kids may enjoy watching the shrimp turn pink!
- Scoop & spread spinach into pan. Kids tend to like crunching spinach in their hands!
- Measure and stir in cheese. Little ones will love tasting the cheese during the process.
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Final Tips To ensure smooth sailing!
Mimi's Cooking Tips:
Check out these tricks and shortcuts from our in-house expert/Mom: Read More...
🍅 Rinse your pasta in cold water in the strainer, right after the pasta is done. This keeps the noodles from sticking together.
🍅 To best defrost frozen shrimp, place them in a colander in the sink and run cold water over them.
🍅 If you like softer cherry tomatoes, add them to the pot when cooking the shrimp.
OUR "kidify" Tips:
Have picky eaters? Read More...
🍅Keep it mild. If your kids don't like spicy food, simply omit the red pepper flakes. Garlic also brings some heat and strong taste to the dish. So, consider cutting back on the garlic too.
🍅Serve raw tomatoes. Some kids may not like the texture of soft, cooked tomatoes. If that's the case, set some raw tomatoes aside to serve as a side veggie for your kiddos.
🍅Set aside some plain noodles. My kids loved the shrimp but didn't like "all the stuff" on the noodles (I think they were referring to the parsley!). You may want to set aside some plain noodles before you mix everything together. Pull some shrimp pieces out of the final mix and serve them next to the plain noodles on your kids' plates. Then, you can let the kids sprinkle parmesan on everything.
Shrimp & Tomato Linguini
Ingredients
- 1 t salt
- 1 lb linguini pasta
- 3 T olive oil
- 3 T butter, unsalted
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 1/2 lbs raw shrimp (shelled & deveined, fresh or frozen)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 - 2 pts grape tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 4 big handfuls fresh raw baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded or grated (+ extra for plating)
- 1 T parsley flakes
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Heat water for pasta in large pot. Once boiling, salt the water, add pasta, and cook according to directions. Once pasta is done, strain and pour back in pot.
- While pasta water is boiling, pour olive oil and butter into a large pan and heat on low-to-medium until butter has melted. Stir in garlic (and red pepper flakes) and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the raw shrimp, season with salt & pepper as desired, and cook until shrimp is pink (about 5-7 minutes). Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning and spinach, and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer shrimp mixture into the pot, with the pasta. Stir in parmesan, parsley and milk and heat on low-to-medium https://amzn.to/3z1TOfFfor 5 minutes. Stir until the shrimp and pasta mixture is well combined.
Notes
Nutrition
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a Wordpress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.
OTHER shrimp DISHES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
🍅 Garlic Shrimp with Chickpeas Over Quinoa
🍅 Lemon & Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus
🍅 Shrimp with Corn in Creamy Poblano Sauce
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