Pasta, my go to weeknight dinner when I have been running around all day or just have nothing planned. Pasta is one of those things that i’ve always always got stocked well in my pantry. Also almost always on hand is canned crushed tomatoes and a bag of frozen shrimp. This sauce is pretty simple and how I make my basic marinara. The sauce simmers away for a few hours if you have time, less if you are in a rush, then the shrimp are tossed right in there at the very last minute. They are cooked in just 6-8 minutes and dinner is ready to go. You can easily turn this is into a Shrimp Arrabiata (spicy tomato sauce) by adding in crushed red pepper flakes. Serve up a simple salad of baby arugula, tomatoes, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper… its delicious!!
Ingredients
2 lbs frozen peeled & deveined large shrimp, defrosted and pat dry
2- 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 onion, small dice
8 garlic cloves, sliced
fresh basil
olive oil
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Preparation
1. In a large pot, over low heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil, the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Sauté until just softened. If you are going for the spicy version, go ahead and add in the crushed red pepper flakes in now.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes into the pot as well as a couple handfuls of torn basil leaves.
4. Simmer for 3 hours. Taste for salt and pepper.
5. Right before you are ready to serve go ahead and add in the shrimp. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or just until the shrimp begin to curl and are a nice opaque white.
6. I served the shrimp over whole grain linguini, finished with some fresh cracked pepper and a drizzle of basil olive oil.
