Meet Mandy and Jim... And, Mandy's Shrimp & Pasta Primavera!

Hi folks, Mandy from Texas here! I am just in awe of the wonderful people I have "met" through blogging, I swear food bloggers must be the kindest folks on earth. Janet and I have been following each other for a while but never connected over e-mail until it dawned on me recently that we should swap posts and introduce our readers to each other. One big happy family I think!

If you didn't see her mouth watering Chocolate Biscotti recipe she posted on my blog, Home with Mandy you should jump over later and check it out. She's such a wiz with the baked goods and I'm totally jealous. Like she said on her guest post, I'm the kind of kitchen goddess that throws a bit of this and a dash of that into my dishes depending on what mood I am in or what I have on hand. The science of baking baffles me, but I do promise to try her chocolate biscotti recipe because she made it look so easy!

This recipe for Shrimp and Pasta Primavera is exactly the kind of dish I like to have in my back pocket because its flexible and customizable. Pasta Primavera is an Italian pasta and vegetable dish (do we see a trend here with the Italian posts?) Primavera is Italian for spring, and the dish is designed to use up seasonal vegetables so you can really make this your own. The blend of vegetables used in this dish varies widely depending on location and preference, but onion, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, bell pepper, peas and mushrooms are commonly added. A cheesy cream sauce is blended with the pasta and vegetables in traditional Pasta Primavera but in my carnivore house I try to always add some sort of meat for my husband Jim. This particular night I added shrimp and the result was "...oh so delicious!"

Let's make some Shrimp and Pasta Primavera alla HWM!

I started by boiling 8 ounces of linguine in a large pot of salted water. I also cut up my

carrots and added those in there too so the carrots would be soft and not crunchy - it is

just a matter of personal preference. Follow the package directions to cook the pasta until

al dente, adding shrimp and peas during the last 3 to 4 minutes of cooking. Drain well.

In a smaller saucepan over medium heat I added a cup of heavy cream and chicken broth

and then seasoned with dried dill (it was SO great in this dish), garlic, onion, butter,

salt, Parmesan, pepper and thyme. Stir with whisk to incorporate all ingredients.

I added the cut up green bell pepper and brought the heat up enough so the

mixture boiled, stirring constantly with a whisk. Then reduce heat to low and

allow it to simmer 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it simmers, stir occasionally

so nothing burns on the bottom of your pan. Alternatively, the green bell pepper

could have been added with the boiling pasta along with the shrimp and other

veggies in this dish, but my personal preference is that the bell peppers stay

crisp, which is why I added it to the sauce that only cooks for five minutes.

Now throw the drained pasta and boiled veggies in with the sauce.

Add the peas and boiled shrimp. If you cook this all in one pot

with the pasta, it's added in one step. Toss gently to coat

the pasta, shrimp and vegetables with the yummy sauce.

Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired (...ha, if

desired? It's not an option! Add more Parm on top for sure, life is too short

to skimp on cheese.) This was so fantastically good, Jim loved it all - and the

best part is I can make it next week with different veggies, different pasta and

maybe add cubed chicken instead of shrimp, voila! It's a completely new

dish. Don't be afraid in the kitchen, be bold and let's eat! Printable recipe

for {Shrimp and Pasta Primavera} Thanks so much Janet for allowing

me to share this recipe with you and your readers. I hope you enjoy it as

much as we have - Too bad I can't ship you a little of this through the mail.