Happy meal #30: Pasta with shrimp & basil

I’m all about easy peasy cooking.

See, for the whole of the week before, we ate out every week day. We were either working late, or I couldn’t bear the thought of cooking because I was so tired whine whine whine, or I had a craving for something soupy, or we didn’t have anything in the fridge to cook with. Anyway, I decided to decree last week as no-cooking week but I felt so guilty that I more than made up for it during the weekend.

I made FOUR MEALS on Sunday. Yes, you read right – four! I’m a happy supporter of cooking in large batches and then freezing everything so that we can thaw out a meal after work instead of slaving in front of the stove. I no longer cook for two, choosing to cook for four instead so that we can brown bag to work too. It’s been a great arrangement so far.

One of the meals that I made on Sunday was a no-fuss, no-stress pasta dish. It’s yummy and absolutely easy to make. After my marathon cookout during the day, I was in no mood to kill myself over dinner too. I love angel hair pasta and I love tomato so it was a win-win!

Angel hair pasta with prawns and basil
Serves 2

What you need

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Angel hair pasta (pick your own quantity!)
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 250g prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 can chopped tomato
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• A bunch of parsley, chopped
• A bunch of basil, chopped
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. (My durum wheat pasta took about 6 minutes)

Place pasta in a colander, and give it a quick rinse with cold water.

Heat remaining olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic burn. Add shrimp, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove shrimp from the skillet, and set aside.

Stir the wine into the skillet and let the alcohol bubble for a while before adding the chopped tomatoes, parsley and basil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half.

Add shrimp, and continue cooking until the shrimp are heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve the shrimp mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

If you want to cheat like I did, pick up the Waitrose chopped tomatoes with basil when you are in the supermarket. Saves you the hassle of buying and chopping basil (which can be a PAIN).