Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Vegetables

Prep all of your vegetables. If your shrimp is frozen, thaw it by running it under running water.

Heat a skillet over medium to medium high heat. Put a pot of water on to boil.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to skillet, then saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until mushrooms begin to soften and onions start to brown. Remove them from pan and set aside in a large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet and saute pepper strips for 3-5 minutes, or until they soften and begin to brown. Remove the peppers and add them to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Put your pasta in the boiling water and cook according to package instructions while you do the next steps.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet and saute asparagus pieces for 3-5 minutes, until they begin to brown and soften a bit. Remove them and place them in the bowl with the other vegetables.

Return the skillet to the stove, reduce heat just enough so butter won’t brown, and add your stick of butter to the pan. When it melts, add your cubes of cream cheese, basil, and parsley. Stir around, scraping the bottom of the pan. The cream cheese will look weird, like it’s curdled, but it’s not. Don’t worry! Once the cream cheese is all broken into small pieces that look like curds, add 3/4 cup of your boiling pasta water, and stir around.

Your pasta should be done now, so remove that from the water and set aside.

Add all of your vegetables to the sauce, and stir. Turn the heat down to low or medium low, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add your shrimp and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.

The sauce should be kind of thick. If it’s too thin, make a paste from the flour and some hot tap water. Push the vegetables and shrimp to the side and add the paste into the thin sauce. Stir until combined, and then stir the whole thing together. Now it should be thicker. If it was thick enough to start with, skip that step.

Add the half and half right into the pan, and stir that around. Once it’s fully incorporated, taste the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and give it a good stir.

Serve with crusty bread.

6 generous servings.