I love pasta and I love shrimp and I just happened to have both of these on hand last night, so I decided what better than to combine these two loves and throw them in a rich creamy tomato sauce. Well let's just say the results were fabulous! Hubby even told me to tell you all it's his all time favorite yet, so I'll take that as a favorable review. Now I'm going to share this new recipe with you:
Cheese Tortellini with Shrimp in Tomato Cream Sauce
Cheese Tortellini with Shrimp in Tomato Cream Sauce-created by Me!
Servings 4
Ingredients:
1 bag frozen cheese tortellini (3.32)
1/2 lb large fresh or frozen shrimp (thawed, peeled and tails removed) $2.50 (purchased at $4.99 lb)
1 can italian diced tomatoes, do not drain (.49)
4 tsp. of fresh or dried thyme (PI)
2 large garlic cloves, minced (.10)
4 Tbs. olive oil (PI)
1 chicken bullion cube, crushed (.05)
2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley (.10)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half and half (both are equally good) (.75)
4 Tbs. freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (.40)
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese-garnish (.40)
salt and freshly grounded pepper to taste (PI)
*PI (Pantry Item)
Directions:
Thaw frozen shrimp according to package directions if using frozen, peel, devin and rinse in a colander. Reserve your shrimp shells for a great tip I will share at the end of this entry.
While shrimp are draining, fill a medium size saucepan with cold water and cook tortellini according to package directions. Do NOT overcook your tortellini, no more than 2-3 mins once tortellini are added to boiling water. They will rise to the top and look like little pillows of cheesy goodness.
Drain pasta and set aside.
Using the same saucepan combine diced tomatoes, crushed bullion, parsley and dried thyme and bring to a low simmer.
While tomatoes are simmering bring a large skillet to medium heat and add olive oil. Heat olive oil and add minced garlic, cooking just until slightly opaque (approx. 1 min). Add garlic and olive oil to tomatoes, stir. Taking a fork and crush tomatoes, breaking up the pieces until you have a chunky sauce.
Add cream to skillet that you used for garlic and bring to a low simmer. Add tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste to cream and bring back up to a low simmer.
Reduce heat on cream sauce to low to keep warm and continue to stir occasionally.
At this point you can butterfly your shrimp, which helps to make the amount of shrimp seem more substantial, but this is not a necessary step. To butterfly your shrimp, place on cutting board and with a very sharp knife, open up shrimp along the back but not cutting all the way through. Add shrimp to cream sauce and cover, allowing shrimp to cook for approximately 4-5 minutes. Add tortellini to pan coating with cream sauce and if necessary seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Plate and top with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Total Cost: $8.11
See that picture up there? Well I had a very hard time not stealing that shrimp right off the plate while I was taking it. That little crustacean was calling my name saying "eat me, eat me!" This dish is that good! In fact I had a dear friend test it out for me and she wanted to know if I had slipped crack some secret ingredient in to it, because it was so addictive. While you are eating this I want you to close your eyes and picture yourself sitting at a little bistro table at your favorite Italian restaurant, but guess what you can eat it at your own table at under $10.00 for a family of four. Try eating out for that!
Enjoy!
Okay, so now let's talk about why I wanted you to save these
TIP: I wanted to share a little tip with you that I learned. I am attempting to make my own broths, since a lot of what I cook calls for different broths to be added. A trick I learned was to save the bits and pieces from cooking chicken, shellfish etc and keep in baggies in freezer to use to make broth when I have enough. I made sure to save the shrimp tails from my shrimp and placed them in a small bag in the freezer. When I have enough, I will simmer them in water and make a nice seafood broth to use in a chowder or bisque down the road. For instance this incredible Spicy Shrimp Bisque created by JodieMo on her blog Eatin' on the Cheap; which I will be making later this week with the other half of my pound of shrimp...now if I can get her to share with me how to make those awesome bread bowls I will be so happy. So if you are interested in being even more frugal in your cooking, consider this idea. It takes very little effort and there is nothing better than homemade broths.
