Shrimp Scampi

I was so excited to try this recipe out! I've been eyeballing it for over a month now. Kenneth very rarely will "let" me try out a shrimp dish at home - maybe I've had epic fails in the past, or maybe he's just weird about
"new things" or maybe the answer lies somewhere in between.... who really knows! All I know is I got the green light to try this one out and was so excited to pull everything out. I love shrimp!! I never get to have it at home because of above mentioned reasons so I usually only get it a couple times a year when I might have it out on the few occasions we eat out (not that I'm complaining, as you can tell I love to stay home and cook)! :)

 Started with whole wheat thin spaghetti, an onion, butter, lemon juice, hot sauce, minced garlic, shrimp, black pepper, basil, parsley and shredded Parmesan.

 The butter and olive oil joined forces in the nonstick skillet!

 Next I threw in a guesstimate of a pound of shrimp into a colander and rinsed them with cold water to thaw them. I later realized my guess was probably off, and I should have used more - but live and learn! :)

 The diced onion went into the olive oil/butter mixture.

 And was joined by the yummy minced garlic!

 I let the onion and garlic cook a few minutes before tossing in the shrimp.

 Starting to get pink!

 When the shrimp were cooked a couple minutes later I squirted the rest of the lemon juice I had into the pan, I'm guessing it was about a TBS and for me the lemon flavor was PERFECT, but if you like a stronger lemon flavor I'd say add another 1/2 to full TBS more lemon juice.

 Next in went 1/2 cup chicken broth since I didn't have any white wine! Gasp! This is I think the second time in a week a recipe has called for white wine and I've had to sub chicken broth. Don't worry, I've been to Sam's since I cooked this and remedied the situation. :D

 Next went in a few dashes of hot sauce.

 Followed by a good sprinkling of black pepper.

 I went ahead and threw the pasta into the boiling water while I finished up.

 I added the basil to the dish, I'm guessing about a tsp but perhaps it was two. I taste tested and added more until I got it where I wanted it.

 Then I scooped some pasta in about 4 batches into a small colander to drain and then into the pan and stirred it around in the sauce. I didn't quite use all 8 ounces of pasta.

 I stopped when it looked like there wasn't going to be enough juices to go on any more pasta.

 Then came a sprinkling of pretty parsley!

 Followed by a nice sprinkling of Parmesan!

 Then I scooped out the pasta and shrimp onto the plates.

 With a little something green!

This dish was amazing. I LOVED it. Not only was it SUPER quick and easy to throw together, which I am so ALL about for weeknight dinner's, it was absolutely delicious! The sauce is rich and tangy and complements the shrimp beautifully! It's a nice light sauce, but just enough to pull everything together. Both of my boys loved this as well and devoured the entire dish in one night!

Recipe slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
1 TBS minced garlic
1 pound Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
½ cups White Wine (or chicken broth if you don't have wine)
1-2 TBS lemon juice
4 dashes Hot Sauce (more or less to taste)
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
8 ounces Angel Hair Pasta or Thin Spaghetti
1 tsp dried basil (more to taste)
2 tsp dried parsley
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Boil water for pasta; have it ready.

Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.

Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the pasta water.

Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.

Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.