Yesterday sophomore Ariana Wilt brought you a Chinese dish  in day 1 of her cultural cooking series. Today’s dish is for our Italian meal lovers, which is common dish this upcoming Valentine’s weekend. Again, be sure to let us know if you make one of these dishes in the days or weeks ahead.

Parmesan Shrimp Pasta

This dish originated in Italy in the 13th century… It is a base of penne pasta with a cream sauce and shrimp, tomato, and spinach. Its very flavorful and loved by everyone.

Ingredients:

kosher salt
12 oz. penne
2 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. Freshly Chopped Parsley
3 c. baby spinach
1 c. crushed or diced canned tomatoes
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

Directions:

Step 1
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook penne until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and return to pot.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add red pepper flakes and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp is pink, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add parsley and combine. Set shrimp aside on a plate (keep juices in skillet).
Step 3
To skillet, add spinach and season with salt. Let wilt, 2 minutes, then add tomatoes, heavy cream, 1/4 cup pasta water, and Parmesan and simmer, 5 minutes.
Step 4
Add shrimp and cooked penne and stir until combined. (If you want it more saucy, add remaining 1/4 cup pasta water.)
Step 5
Garnish with Parm and serve.