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A Healthy Way to Make Linguini with Shrimp

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Yes, there is still olive oil in this dish.

No, the pasta is not gluten free.

Loads of garlic? Absolutely!

Am I seriously gonna make this healthy? You betcha!!

A Healthy Way to Make Linguini with Shrimp Just Crumbs Blog by Suzie Durigon

This dish may not be featured on everyone’s IG account as a healthy dish, but before all this gluten free, vegan stuff started popping up, this might have been considered a relatively “good for you” meal (especially if you add the veggie side dishes). Yes it’s pasta, but we all need some carbs in our diet – it’s good brain and muscle food and an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, which provide a slow release of energy. You can also find folic acid in fortified pasta and it is cholesterol free and has low sodium.  And, shell fish is a relatively low fat and calorie choice (one medium shrimp provides about 7 calories, which means a dozen add up to less than 85 calories) and it has vitamin B12, phosphorous, choline, copper, and iodine. And garlic?  Well, it’s good for a ton or reasons that I’m sure you are already aware of – plus it keeps vampires away, so….

Also, if you are a bit organized, you can even sub in a few tablespoons of this garlic and parsley mixture for the garlic and parsley (that way you cut down on the chopping!!). And, if you don’t have a spiralizer for the zucchini, check out this post for other options!!

But we’re going to sneak in a bit more goodness and nobody will even notice…I promise.  And what, you may ask, is this hidden goodness?  Zoodled zucchini!!  If you sub in ALL of your pasta for zucchini, it’s good but it’s not pasta.  If you add a bit IN ADDITION to your pasta, you’ll never notice and it actually tastes fresher!!

Finally, always remember to save a good amount (about 2 cups) of pasta water before you dump it because you will need it for later (always, always save water when you are making a pasta dish without a true “sauce”….the pasta water is like gold!).  It is flavoured/salted so it will taste better than plain water and it has all the starches that have leached from the pasta during cooking so it will be glossy and lovely – way better than plain water. And why would you need water after the dish is done?  If you have leftovers from this dish and you put it in the fridge until the next day, it will be glorious if you put it back in a pan, add some of the cooking water and reheat it…sometimes it’s actually better the next day (just be careful to only warm to heat and not “cook” it).

Now, come on…what are you waiting for?  Put a pot of water on and call up some of your peeps.  It’s time for a simple Sunday night dinner!!

 

Healthified Linguini with Shrimp
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Suzie Durigon
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8portions
a quick weeknight dish that will keep them coming back for more!!!
Ingredients
  • 454g dry linguine (1 package)
  • 2 pounds shrimp (raw, shelled, deveined – you can leave the tail on if you like)
  • 2 zucchini, spiralized (see above for other options)
  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • a handful (about 1/2 cup) chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic (about 2-4 cloves)
  • 2 tbsp capers, chopped
  • lemon zest (from about 1/2 a lemon) – optional but adds lots of freshness
  • sea salt and fresh black pepper (the freshness of these is really important in this dish)
Instructions
  1. Boil a large pot of water; add linguini and cook according to package directions (really important to not overcook – especially in this dish)
  2. In a large fry pan, add olive oil and heat on a low heat; add garlic and cook for 2 minutes (make sure the heat is low enough that it doesn’t colour.
  3. Add parsley and capers; stir
  4. Add shrimp and cook only until shrimp are pink (do not over cook or they will be rubbery!!)
  5. Add zucchini and stir to coat with everything else in pan
  6. The pasta should be cooked so add the pasta to your pan bt save 2 cups of the cooking water (see above for reasoning)
  7. Toss well; add lemon zest and a few turns of pepper; toss again
  8. Taste and add salt and more pepper to taste.
  9. Serve immediately