Description
Summer pesto pasta is loaded with summer veggies and fresh herb pesto, plus shrimp. This meal is the perfect way to enjoy summer’s beautiful fresh flavors.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Homemade pesto (see notes)
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup roasted almonds (or sub any toasted nuts or seeds you prefer)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 to 3/4 lemon, juiced
- 2 cups herbs (basil, mint, chives, or cilantro – can use a combo of herbs too)
- 1/4 cup spinach or arugula (helps to make the pesto a nice bright green color)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Shrimp
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-vained
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or grapeseed oil (for cooking)
Remainder of the pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter, ghee, or avocado oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
- 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (I like to use a mandolin)
- 8 ounces pasta (I used spaghetti, but any shape of pasta you like works)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Optional garnishes
- Parmesan cheese
- fresh herbs (whatever kind of herbs you used in the pesto)
Instructions
- Make the pesto (if making – see notes for options): To the bowl of a food processor, add the minced garlic, and roasted almonds. Pulse until the nuts have broken down a little. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and pulse until small chunks remain (careful not to turn it into a paste). Add the herbs, spinach or arugula, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until the herbs have broken down into small bits, about 1 minute – scrape down sides as needed. Stream in the olive oil while the food processor is running. The pesto should be thick and creamy, yet a little chunky (see photo in post). Either transfer to a bowl to use later with the pasta if making the pasta right away. Or transfer the pesto to a jar an add a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto to keep the herbs from turning brown. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Prepare: Before getting started prepare all your ingredients as instructed above. Peal the shrimp, if needed. Cut the mushrooms and zucchini. And get a large pot of water started boiling for your pasta. If the water comes to a boil before you’re ready to use it then turn off the heat, keep the lid on and it will reach a boil really quickly, once you’re ready to cook the pasta.
- Cook the shrimp: Begin heating a large skillet over medium heat. Pat the shrimp dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Once the pan is heated up add the avocado oil, enough to coat the pan well. Add the shrimp in single layer and cook about 2 minutes, on one side, or until the shrimp starts curling in on itself. Flip the shrimp with tongs and cook on the other side for another minute, or until the shrimp is pink, opaque and has curled in on itself. Remove from the pan, to bowl to set aside.
- Cook the veggies: To the same pan that the shrimp was cooked in add the butter, ghee, or avocado oil. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have gotten nice and tender. Remove the mushrooms from the pan to a dish and set aside. Add the zucchini, and a bit of salt to release the liquid. Cook the zucchini about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender, yet still crunchy.
- Cook your pasta: Once the mushrooms are almost done cooking, start cooking your pasta according to package directions. Cook it until it’s al dente (About 1 to 2 minutes less then instructed). Use a measuring cup, or mug to reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Drain the pasta once cooked.
- Bring it all together: Keep the skillet heated over low heat. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, use a wooden spoon to scrape off any cooked on bits. Add the pasta, most of the pesto sauce (start with about 3/4 of a cup), add the mushrooms back in and toss to combine. Allow the water to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Once the pesto is well combined with the pasta water and everything is well mixed, turn off the heat, and toss in the cooked shrimp and the sliced tomatoes.
- To serve: Transfer the pasta to serving bowls, or plates, making sure to get a nice combo of all the ingredients. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese, and/or fresh herbs. Serve immediately.
- Leftovers: Makes pretty good re-heated leftovers. Just know that the pesto may turn a more olive green then a bright green, but still tastes great.
Notes
Pesto: You can use store bought pesto instead of homemade. You will need about 3/4 to 1 cup of pesto. Keep in mind that homemade pesto can be made up to 2 days in advance. store it in a jar in the fridge with a thin layer of olive oil over the top to keep the herbs from browning. Basil is traditional for pesto, but I have made pesto using any of the herbs I mentioned above and all are delicious, just depends on your flavor preference or what you have in your garden/on hand.
Gluten free: to keep this recipe gluten free make sure to use a gluten free pasta. I really like Banza pasta (made from chickpeas). It is higher in protein and lower in carbs then standard pasts.
