Recipe: Creamy pesto shrimp fettuccine

In our home, pasta night is a big deal. Whether we’re having this Cheesy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake or this Caramelized Onion & Sun-dried Tomato Vegan Pasta, every pasta night is always a huge hit. For this Creamy Pesto Shrimp Fettuccine, I used my easy Spicy Fresh Basil Pesto recipe, which definitely kicked this dish up a notch.

In my opinion, nothing beats freshly made pesto. And although it may sound intimidating, homemade pesto is very easy to make and can be easily stored for future meals. During the summertime, I usually have an excess of basil in my herb garden, and I end up making tons of pesto.

If there’s no time to make your own pesto, you can certainly use store-bought pesto. When searching for a great store-bought pesto, I recommend choosing a refrigerated brand verses a shelf-stable pesto.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

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• 12 ounces fettuccine
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ⅓ cup Spicy Fresh Basil Pesto
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• ¾ cup heavy cream or half and half
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook fettucine per the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for later. Drain the pasta and set aside. Place the uncooked shrimp into a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Toss to coat. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the shrimp in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside. To that same skillet, add in the butter, heavy cream, pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice and the reserved pasta water. Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer until it starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and add in the fettuccine noodles and shrimp. Toss to coat and top with fresh basil and lemon zest before serving.

Andrea Mathis is a registered dietitian and owner of Beautiful Eats & Things. For more great recipes, visit beautifuleatsandthings.com. This story originally appeared in Alabama Living magazine and on Alabama News Center.