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Pasta gets a bad reputation.  The first thing people look to “cut out” around the start of the year is always carbs and…pasta.  It’s tragic! Pasta is not the enemy, and there are lots of healthy meals you can make with pasta! “Everything in moderation” is what I live by.  Today I thought I would share one of my favorite light and fast pasta dishes that is a true crowd pleaser.  Even my kids love this! I love serving it alongside a simple pile of arugula with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of sea salt.  You need to get those greens in there anyway you can…your skin will thank you! This recipe serves 2 people, but easily multiplies to feed more.

Recipe…

• 10-16 Raw shrimp, not frozen
• 1/2 box linguine pasta
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper 
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 handfuls arugula, washed and dried

Begin by boiling a pot of salted water to boil.  Once the water is at a rolling boil, add your linguine– then continue with your shrimp:  warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced garlic to the oil, and sautée until fragrant and starting to get golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Add the shrimp to the pan, and stir to coat in the garlicky oil.  Add a pinch of sea salt and a grind or two of black pepper.  Stir.  Add the thyme and stir again. If you would like your pasta to have a little kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes now! Add your lemon juice to the pan and continue to stir and cook, until the shrimp are just turning pink, approximately 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat, sprinkle the lemon zest on top.  Test your linguine to see if it is al dente (should be tender but with a bit of a firmness).  If the pasta is ready, use tongs to take the linguine out of the pot and drop it in to the saucepan with the shrimp in it.  Placing the shrimp pan back on the burner, put heat to medium and toss to pasta and shrimp together in the pan.  When it is nicely mixed together, plate the shrimp pasta, and add a heap of arugula to each plate.  Squeeze lemon and sprinkle sea salt on your greens.  Enjoy warm!  

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Photos by Julia Dags.