Cheese Shrimp Penne Pasta & Spinach

This is a great pasta that doesn’t require much work. If you love shrimp and love penne pasta, this unique recipe will definitely be a fun one to make if you’re interested in something simple that’s ready in minutes.

Ingredients:

1 box Penne Pasta
1lb Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
3 C Fresh Chopped Spinach, Kale or Arugula (do not use frozen)
1 C Mozzarella or Swiss Cheese
3 Garlic cloves (minced)
2 tsp Salt, Pepper & Garlic Salt
8 C Water
2 T Butter
1 T Oil

Directions:

1. Make pasta according to pkg. Last 5 mins of cooking add your shrimp to pasta water. Cook until no longer pink. Drain all but 1 C of water for next step. Keep pasta and shrimp warm.
2. In a pan add oil & butter over Med heat. When butter melts add, pasta to pan. Toss to coat. Season. Cook for 2 mins, stirring often.
3. Next, add spinach, cook for 1 min until wilted (add ⅓ cup more water here if necessary to steam/cook spinach) Last add shrimp and cheese. Stir gently until cheese melts. Do not overcook. Add more seasonings to taste. Garnish with dried cilantro.

Tips

Can I use shrimp without the tails?

While this one calls for the tails removed, some people like to keep it in because of the flavor. We prefer that the tails are removed but keep the shell to enhance the shape and the flavor of the shrimp without too much work or additives to this.

Do I have to use penne pasta?

While the name does say shrimp penne, you can use other kinds of pastas if you don’t have penne on hand, or if you don’t like penne. You can also use whole wheat pasta if you don’t like to have white pastas.

Can I freeze this meal?

This meal is best eaten at that time. while you can freeze it, only the shrimp really works well frozen and that doesn’t take long to cook, so it’s not worth the time.

How long does it last in the fridge?

This one is good to keep in the fridge for up to five days, and you can reheat it. It’s still good for a bit, but you might notice the pasta may have a bit of a hard texture, so keep that in mind when you’re reheating it. It might be better to let it heat up slowly on the stove, with more cheese added to this.

What’s a good side to do with this meal?

This one is good without a side, but if you want to make something for it, then you can cook up some bread, and then have it as a nice side item. Usually though, this is a dish that works best on its own usually.