Spaghetti with Prawns in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Quick and easy pasta dishes are a mum's life saver for days when you need to whip up an almost instant one-dish meal with minimal ingredients. Gordan Ramsey's Spaghetti with Prawns in Creamy Tomato Sauce certainly fits the bill for such a dish. 

Prawns and softened cherry tomatoes are mixed with pasta in a creamy sauce infused with aromatic basil. There is a slight hint of spiciness from the chilli but not enough to really make it too spicy for the kids to enjoy. 

I prefer more sauce, so I doubled the amount of cream added. In fact I don't think the 100ml of cream recommended in the recipe is enough to coat the 500g of pasta. This is a must-try fuss free dinner. 

Spaghetti with Prawns in Creamy Tomato Sauce (4 servings)

A Gordan Ramsey Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 g cooked Prawns
• 600 g Cherry Tomatoes
• 3 spring onions finely sliced or shredded
• 1 Chilli deseeded and chopped
• 1 Clove Garlic chopped
• Sea Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 500 g dried Spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 100 ml Double cream (I used 200ml of cooking cream)
• basil leaf chopped

Method

• Put the cherry tomatoes, spring onion, chilli, garlic and olive oil in a heavy-based pan and cook over a medium heat until soft but not coloured. Season with pepper and cook until soft.
• Add the spaghetti to a large pan of boiling salted water with the olive oil and cook until al dente.
• Meanwhile add the prawns to the sauce and stir in the cream and chopped basil. Warm through gently for a couple of minutes.
• Drain the pasta and toss with the pasta sauce. Divide between warm plates, Serve immediately.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package

I was drawn to the beautiful pictures of this Shrimp Pasta in Foil Package on the Pioneer Woman's website and the promise that "because it's baked all wrapped up - all the juices and aroma stay in there…it’s so utterly delightful."

This is an easy peasy recipe - cook the sauce, boil the pasta, throw it all together, wrap and into the oven it goes. 

The pasta sauce infused with white wine and the aroma of the coriander really makes this baked pasta dish flavourful and aromatic. Keeping it wrapped really preserves the flavours of the sauce and keeps it moist. It's great if you have guests coming - they are sure to be impressed with this pasta dish. 

Shrimp Pasta in Foil Package (Serves 4)

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 whole 14.5 Ounce (411 g) Cans Diced (or Whole) Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 500 g Jumbo Or Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
•  Salt And Pepper, to taste
•  Fresh Parsley, Minced
• 180 g Linguine, Uncooked
•  Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (optional)
• A handful of asparagus, chopped up

Preparation Instructions

• Cook pasta for 1/2 the recommended cooking time. Pasta should still be very firm.
• In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Dump in the tomatoes, asparagus and wine. Stir the mixture together, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for ten minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare a large parcel of heavy duty aluminum foil. It should be large enough to hold the entire pasta dish.
• Throw the shrimp on the top of the pasta sauce. Throw the drained pasta over the top, then pour the whole dish onto the foil. Top with half the parsley. Tightly wrap the foil into a parcel.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and keep warm until serving.
• Open the foil parcel right before serving. Top with remaining parsley and stir through the red pepper flakes (if desired). Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the top. Squeeze on lemon juice, if desired.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

This also goes to Months of Edible Celebrations for the Pasta Party!