Pasta is usually a good cooking choice for bachelors. They usually require familiar ingredients with a taste we remember from childhood. This dish comes together quickly with the help of frozen shrimp, canned artichoke hearts, and pantry goods like dried pasta noodles. The printable recipe is here in our Recipes section.
This Artichoke Shrimp Linguine serves four and starts with the pasta. Linguine and similar noodles come in packages of 16 ounces, but this recipe calls for only eight ounces. That means if you like it, you can make it twice. Or, dried pasta in a sealed bag or container that will keep vermin out can last for months. You’ll probably have a chance to use the rest of it fairly soon.
In only 30 minutes, this delicious pasta can be on the table. A salad and a glass of wine will really round out this meal.
Your Ingredients and Equipment
First, you’ll need to ready your tools and ingredients. A large pot, at least the 4-quart size, needs to be filled with water and put on high heat. When it comes to a boil, salt it heavily and add the half-box of pasta. Make sure all the noodles are submerged, then give it a stir to keep strands from sticking together. Cook until tender, about eight minutes. Always follow the timing directions on the package, they really have that right. When done, drain and set aside.
A large skillet will be your main cooking vessel. You will also need a can opener and a spoon or spatula to stir. For ingredients, extra virgin olive oil is always a most for Italian dishes. One 16-ounce package of frozen, cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed. So remember to take it out of the freezer the night before. I like to pull the tails off if they are there. I also rinse them in cold water before setting those aside to drain.
Garlic is always important in a meal like this. But if you really are making this for date night, go easy. It calls for six cloves of the stuff, minced. And, at the end, you need at least half a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The domestic Grana Padana will also work. (Never ever buy that green canister that doesn’t even have to be kept cold, it’s terrible.) From the spice rack, you need red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. A quarter cup of lemon juice is also required. It is a lot, but the acid goes very well with artichokes and black olives. And those two Important items have to have their cans opened, a 14-ounce can of quartered artichoke hearts (I think packed in oil is better) and a small can of sliced black olives (half a cup). Both should be drained and rinsed to take off excess salt.
Pasta Ready, Time To Make The Sauce
With everything in place, that’s called “mise en place,” it’s time to start cooking. You have the pasta cooked. Don’t worry about it cooling down. If you think they might stick together, toss the strands with a little extra virgin olive oil until they loosen up and remain separated. You should also do this with leftover pasta (without sauce) before you store it in the refrigerator. It will help it keep from drying out.
Put the skillet over medium heat. Add a quarter cup of extra virgin oil. When it shimmers it is hot enough, add the shrimp, minced garlic and a teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes, adjusted to your taste. You can leave those out if you have an issue with spiciness, but it really helps cut the richness of the sauce. Cook and stir the pan mixture until the garlic is lightly browned and the shrimp is hot, about five minutes. Mix in the artichoke hearts, black olives, a quarter cup of lemon juice (fresh is great, but a small bottled juice will work for this), and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until heated through, two or three minutes more.
If the skillet is big enough, you can toss the pasta into the sauce and save washing a dish. Otherwise, put the linguine in a large serving dish, pour the sauce over it and toss. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy Those Leftovers
This Artichoke Shrimp Linguine serves four and starts with the pasta. Linguine and similar noodles come in packages of 16 ounces, but this recipe calls for only eight ounces. That means if you like it, you can make it twice. Or, dried pasta in a sealed bag or container that will keep vermin out can last for months. You’ll probably have a chance to use the rest of it fairly soon. is more centered on taste than nutrition, but a serving really is a full meal with the addition of a salad. I don’t recommend serving bread with it because the pasta is already bringing nearly 50 grams of carbohydrate to the dish. All that cheese makes it good, but it has over 20 grams of fat. Keeping the salt content down is important with this dish because it has almost one thousand grams of sodium, mostly from the cheese and the canned tomatoes. A serving, about a quarter of the recipe, has 556 calories, so any more bread would be a bit too much, in my opinion.
