Penne with shrimp and basil cream sauce

Photo © The Imperfect Parent

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
15 oz. can diced tomatoes in sauce, undrained
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup clam juice
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Boil large pot of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

While pasta cooks, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly until shrimp are pink and barely cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove shrimp with slotted spoon, set aside.

Add tomatoes and sauce, 1/4 cup basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to bring sauce to a high simmer for about 7 minutes until the sauce coats a back of a spoon. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan, reserved shrimp, cooked, drained pasta, and remaining basil. Toss, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Variation on an original recipe by Giada De Laurentiis