Today’s post will focus on the recipe for Vampire-Repelling Shrimp Scampi. This garlic-rich recipe is simple, yet delicious. I love to make this recipe on a Friday night before watching a horror film or two. Last time I made it, the kitchen smelled like garlic for an entire day afterwards, ensuring that we were safe from creatures of the night (and any visitor, really).
As with most scampi pasta dishes, this recipe can be highly customized and you can change it up depending on the ingredients you have on-hand. For a pop of color – add sun-dried tomatoes. Mushrooms can be added for extra Vitamin D. The possibilities are limitless!
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until tender.
I chose to use orange and green vegetable pasta for a more Halloween-feel, but once cooked they did not have as bright colors as I had hoped. If you have a higher budget, specialty squid ink pasta has a delightful black color to make this meal very spooky.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion. Let brown. Add garlic.
It typically takes about five to eight minutes for the onion to brown, depending on your pan. You can stir occasionally and/or rotate the pan to make sure all the onion is browning mostly evenly.
Add the shrimp (and optional mushrooms) to the pan. Season with the basil, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and parsley. Flip the shrimp once the underside is a bright pink. Cook through.
Add butter, lemon juice, white wine, and parmesan cheese. The optional sun-dried tomatoes can be added as well. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
The scampi sauce will reduce during this time. You should be able to smell the garlic throughout your kitchen by this time. Vampires beware!
We have not forgotten about the pasta! Remove the cooked spaghetti from the pot using tongs and place into the pan with the shrimp scampi mixture. Use tongs instead of draining the pasta – bringing over some pasta water with the spaghetti helps the scampi sauce to stick to the noodles more.
Thoroughly coat the spaghetti with the scampi sauce.
Now, you just have to plate it. Add your favorite garlic bread for a complimentary side and you are all set! For those more vampire-friendly individuals, you can reduce or cut down on the garlic, but I love the strong garlic taste.
Enjoy!
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