spaghetti

Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp

January 22, 2021 by Marisa 40 Comments

A bright and bold Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp recipe that’s always a winner at my house!

You’ll love this dish for it’s simplicity and for how quickly it can be put together on a busy weeknight! Or even for those very special weekend dinners too!

This dish features succulent colossal shrimp, marinated in an Italian gremolata sauce which is quite simply a condiment. This condiment is a mixture of fresh parsley, garlic and lemon which enhances the fresh flavours.

Add a little extra virgin olive oil and you’ve got yourself a quick aromatic marinade for shrimp.

The marinated shrimp are pan seared and served over a platter of lemon parmesan pasta.

It’s so easy to put together and with a little planning and prepping ahead of time you can have dinner ready in approximately 30 minutes.

Ingredients For Italian Gremolata

With a few simple ingredients, fresh is always best!

Parsley: Use Italian flat leaf parsley as it’s much more fragrant than the curly variety.
Garlic: Rather than chopping the garlic try mincing it for a less pungent flavour since the shrimp cook rather quickly.
Lemon Zest: Lemon zest adds lots of flavour. Make sure to use only the colourful part and not the pith of the lemons which is quite bitter.

Preparing And Marinating Black Tiger Shrimp

I used frozen, raw easy peel shrimp for this lemon shrimp pasta recipe. Frozen shrimp are always convenient to have on hand and an ideal choice for busy weeknights!

The shells are pre-cut and the shrimp are deveined for you. All you need to do is defrost the shrimp then peel back the shell while leaving the tail intact.

There are a couple of ways you can defrost the shrimp:

Overnight thaw: Simply place the shrimp in the fridge the night before you plan to cook with them.
Quick thaw: Remove the shrimp from their packaging and place the shrimp in a colander. Run cold water over the shrimp for about 6 minutes or until thawed. Then simply drain and pat dry before marinating the shrimp.

You can do this ahead of time and keep the shrimp in the fridge until you’re ready to marinate them.

Cooking Black Tiger Shrimp For Lemon Pasta

Once marinated with the parsley, garlic, lemon and oil, set them aside for about 15-20 minutes. This allows the time to bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil.

The amount of time to cook the shrimp will depend on their size. Mine were the 8/12 count per pound and required about 2 minutes or so on each side.

These 8/12 count per pound are also referred to as super colossal sized shrimp, but can sometimes vary depending on the vendor.

They’re far meatier than the smaller shrimp and quite satisfying even to the carnivores in my family.

How to Make Lemon Shrimp Spaghetti

Although these quick pan seared shrimp are magnificent all on their own, they compliment the lemon parmesan spaghetti quite deliciously.

Once you have your shrimp marinating in the parsley, garlic and lemon sauce, bring a large pot of water to boil.
This will give the shrimp sufficient time for a quick marinade while you prepare the lemon parmesan sauce for the spaghetti.
When the water comes to a roaring boil, salt and add in the pasta.
Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper.
Add the shrimp to the hot pan and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side. This largely depends on the size of your shrimp.
If your skillet is small, you can cook them in batches.
When the pasta is ready, drain and toss with the lemon sauce.

There are two ways to bring this magnificent dish to the table!

You can transfer the lemon spaghetti onto a serving platter and top the pasta with the pan seared shrimp, a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. And let your family help themselves!

Or you can plate individual servings, topped with an equal amount of the lemon garlic shrimp, a dash of chopped parsley and a slight drizzle of the olive oil. This way there’s no infighting amongst siblings!

Servings for lemon shrimp pasta:

Twirling the spaghetti as in the photo will easily yield 6 portions, measuring approximately 1 1/2 cups cooked pasta per serving. I find this more than enough when serving a multiple coarse meal.

However, when served as a main dish with a salad on the side, you will have 4 very generous portions indeed!

Make it tonight and impress friends and family with this relatively easy to make, shrimp over pasta dish.

And, if you love shrimp pasta dishes as much as I do, you might also enjoy this Spaghettoni with Shrimp and Peppers recipe

Happy Cooking!

This recipe was originally published April 6, 2016 and republished January 22, 2021 with updated photos and content.

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5 from 8 votes

Lemon Spaghetti with shrimp

A bright and bold lemon spaghetti dish with jumbo garlic, lemon shrimps.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time11 mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp

Servings: to 6

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

GREMOLATA MARINADE FOR SHRIMP

908 grams large shrimp shelled and deveined
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
lemon zest from 2 lemons
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 cloves of garlic minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

LEMON PASTA SAUCE

454 grams spaghetti
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
lemon zest from one lemon
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to your taste I used fine sea salt

Instructions

PREP SHRIMP GREMOLATA MARINADE

In a bowl toss together the shrimp, extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, chopped parsley and minced garlic.
Set aside to marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

FOR THE PASTA

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
When water reaches a rapid boil, salt the water and toss in the spaghetti. Cook according to package instructions.

WHILE THE PASTA COOKS

While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook in a single layer, for about 2 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the shrimp.
Also, depending on the size of your pan, you may have to cook the shrimp in 2 batches.
Once the shrimp are cooked transfer them to a plate and set aside.

LEMON PASTA SAUCE

Whisk together the 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup lemon juice and zest, freshly grated cheese, parsley and a dash of salt and pepper.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water.
Return the drained pasta to the pot.
Pour the lemon sauce over the drained pasta and toss to combine.
Add a little bit of the reserved pasta water if needed.
You'll want to add just enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten the spaghetti.
Toss well.
Transfer the spaghetti onto a serving platter and top with the pan seared shrimp.
Sprinkle with a dash of chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
You can bring the assembled platter to the table and let everyone help themselves or make individual servings topped with an equal amount of shrimp, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnished with parsley.
And pass the cheese if you wish. I'm all for extra cheese!

Kale Walnut Pesto with Spaghetti

August 21, 2019 by Marisa 8 Comments

Kale and Walnut Pesto with Spaghetti is a healthy, nutrient packed pasta dish. It’s easy and quick to put together which makes it simply perfect for any day of the week.

What do you make when a copious amount of homegrown kale lands on your kitchen counter?

My daughter and son-in-law organically grow their own kale and say that it literally grows like weed in their garden. There is just so much of it! And seeing that they were on their way down south for a week, I was the happy recipient of these nutrient dense greens.

Normally I would simply rub the washed and dried leaves with olive oil and toss in my salads. Or add handfuls of the chopped green leaves to most soup bases.

But then I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to preserve this summer’s bounty by making some home made pesto!

Pesto is a wonderful way of preserving leafy greens and can be used or added to various recipes.

It’s also convenient to have on hand at a moment’s notice as this quick sauce is so versatile.

Prepping Kale

The kale you see here is more of a flat leaf variety with purplish veins and large overgrown leaves.

But really you can use any type of kale that you may find. Prepping will be the same!

You’ll need to rinse and pat the leaves down dry.
With a knife carve out the fibrous and thick part of the vein and stem. But don’t discard the stems, you can freeze and use the stems in soups.
Coarsely chop the leaves before adding to the food processor as this makes it easier to pack in and pulse.

Not everyone enjoys the slight bitterness of raw kale. But you can deflect some of that bitterness by combining the kale leaves with other leafy greens or herbs.

Some that work quite well are:

Arugula
Baby Spinach
Basil
Mint
Parsley

And if you want a Vegan Kale Walnut Pesto simply omit the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese altogether.

You can also substitute walnuts with:

Pinenuts
Almonds
Pecans
Cashews

Do you have a nut allergy in the family? You can omit the nuts for a nut free alternative!

How To Use Kale Walnut Pesto

Aside from using kale walnut pesto with spaghetti, or another pasta of your choice, you can also use it for:

Slathering on sandwich bread such as these Pan Grilled Chicken Panini.
Spread it on flatbread or pizza dough then top with your favourite toppings.
Use it as a dip and serve with crudités, sliced veggies.
Dress up a platter of fresh mozzarella with sliced tomatoes topped with dollops of kale and walnut pesto.

My favourite way of serving this pesto is in tossing it with spaghetti which you can have on the dinner table in less than 30 minutes.

And, if you want to add an extra layer of flavour and texture then top your pasta with some homemade toasted bread crumbs.

It takes this dish to over the top gorgeous and delicious!

All you’ll need are some chopped crustless pieces of bread, pan toasted with a little olive oil and you’ll have some crunchy goodness to top your pasta with!

Although I’ve made a few batches, I still have quite a bit of kale leaves chilling in my fridge.

If you have any recommendations, leave me a comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Buon Appetito!

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Kale Walnut Pesto with Spaghetti

Kale and Walnut Pesto with Spaghetti is a healthy and flavourful pasta dish. It's quick and easy to put together and simply perfect for any day of the week.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Kale Walnut Pesto with Spaghetti

Servings:

Calories: 699kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

2 cups kale (roughly chopped) rinsed, dried and firmly packed
1 cup Italian parsley (roughly chopped) Rinsed, dried and firmly packed
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup walnuts lightly toasted
lemon zest from one medium sized lemon
lemon juice from one medium sized lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese freshly grated
red chili pepper flakes 2 generous pinches
salt and pepper to your taste
450 grams spaghetti
1 cup freshly toasted bread crumbs optional (see notes below)

Instructions

Kale Walnut Pesto

Fill a large sauce pot with water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, start making the kale pesto.
Place the kale, parsley, garlic, walnuts, both the zest and juice of a lemon and the olive oil in a large food processor.
Pulse until smooth.
Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and stir in the cheese, chili flakes and salt & pepper to your taste.
Set the pesto aside while you cook the pasta.

Pasta

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Once the water boils, salt the water and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water then drain the spaghetti.
Return the pasta to the sauce pot and toss with approximately 1/2 cup of pesto and the reserved pasta water.
Taste the pasta and add additional pesto if needed or simply to your liking.
Plate and serve with a dab of pesto, some extra cheese, a sprinkle of chilli pepper and toasted breadcrumbs if using.
You can store any remaining pesto for up to a week in the fridge.
Or freeze up to 1 month.

Notes

Toasted Breadcrumbs:

Use your favourite bread, crust removed and chopped into small pieces (approximately 1 cup).

Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the breadcrumbs.

Toast the crumbs while tossing frequently for about 5 minutes or until the crumbs turn golden brown.

Nutrition

Easy Zucchini Glazed Spaghetti

July 9, 2018 by Marisa 14 Comments

Easy Zucchini Glazed Spaghetti, a truly brilliant medley utilizing one of summer’s favourite squashes. A simple combo of zucchini and spaghetti, partially cooked in zucchini water delivering a wonderfully lustrous, easy and utterly delicious meal!

This is one beautiful pasta and vegetable dish that truly delights!

It’s both pleasing to the eye with shreds of vibrant green flecks of the delicate zucchini squash. This pasta dish screams summer in the sun!

Not much of the zucchini goes to waste when preparing this meal and its virtually fuss free! Which means less time in the kitchen. Aren’t you loving it already?

Actually the most effort required when preparing this meal is in grating the zucchini. You may want to be careful with your box grater though…just saying!

After grating the zucchini, its placed in a colander with a few flavourful add ins and set aside for an hour. This allows the zucchini to release all its delicious juices. But we’re not throwing out the green juice. The juice is then used to finish cooking the pasta which yields a lovely glossy sauce.

The raw shreds of zucchini are then tossed with the pasta to complete the dish. Then, all that’s needed is a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Oh…and some cracked black pepper and red chilli flakes which certainly elevates the pasta to brilliant status!

You can fry some of the grated zucchini with a little olive oil and use it as a garnish if you’re so inclined. Its totally optional but does add a little contrast in texture.

It’s fuss free and with a few simple ingredients you’ll find your palate is never overwhelmed.

Buon Appetito!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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Easy Zucchini Glazed Spaghetti

A brilliant medley of freshly grated zucchini, zucchini water and spaghetti is transformed into a luscious pasta dish that is simply perfect for any day of the week.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Easy Zucchini Glazed Spaghetti

Servings:

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

6 large zucchini
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
454 grams spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Parmesan cheese freshly grated

Instructions

Start off by lining a colander with a cheese cloth and then place it in a large bowl. (If you don't have a cheese cloth, a very fine meshed colander will work just as well.)
Finely grate the zucchini on the smallest or second smallest holes of a cheese grater.
Toss the grated zucchini with the garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper and chilli flakes.
Place the zucchini mixture in the lined colander and set aside for 1 hour at room temperature. (As the zucchini sits in the colander it will slowly release its juices.)
Squeeze out the zucchini to release its remaining juices and set both the liquids and the squeezed zucchini aside while you cook the pasta.
Cook the spaghetti in salted water for half the time indicated on the package.
Drain the pasta and set aside.
Use the empty pasta pot to bring the zucchini juices to a boil.
Add in the spaghetti while stirring occasionally just until the spaghetti is al dente.
The pasta will absorb the juices as it finishes cooking while absorbing all its wonderful flavors.
When ready toss the pasta with the grated zucchini, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the Parmesan cheese.
Plate, serve and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Francine Segan's "Pasta Modern" cookbook with a few switch ups.

I've increased the amount of garlic for personal taste and spiced up the dish with some hot chili flakes and freshly cracked peppercorns.

As with most simple dishes with few ingredients, do use a good quality extra virgin olive oil to top the pasta!

Nutrition

Spaghetti With Sun Dried Tomatoes

February 16, 2018 by Marisa 56 Comments

A simple yet delicious dish, Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes comes together in just under 30 minutes. It makes an ideal meal that’s perfect for busy week nights. But, also elegant enough for those special occasions.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

I turn to this sun dried tomato pasta dish over and over again to satisfy a quick carbohydrate fix.

All you’ll need are a few simple pantry ingredients to transform into a last minute meal that you can prepare in less time than it takes to cook the spaghetti.

You’ll want to start by bringing a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Once the pasta water has come to a boil, add in the salt followed by your pasta into the salted water.

While the pasta cooks, it’s time to start the quick sun dried tomato sauce!

And this pasta sauce simply consists of a quick sauté of some minced garlic, dried chilli peppers, chopped sun dried tomatoes. Then it’s tossed with the cooked and drained pasta.

A generous sprinkle of Parmesan love and parsley is all that’s needed to finish the pasta dish.

You’ll find it super easy to put together and packs a load of flavour!

It’s simple and yet elegant enough that you can present it as a gourmet meal!

Paired with a salad, you’ll have a complete meal in just under 30 minutes making it ideal for those hectic weeknights when your juggling chores and the kids homework.

Other use for sun dried tomatoes

Sun dried tomatoes are one of my all time favourite pantry condiment because of their sweet concentrated flavours and I always keep a jar around to enjoy all year round.

There are endless possibilities for oil packed sun dried tomatoes. Here are some of mine!

Spread some goat cheese over crostini and top each with a sun dried tomato to serve as appetizers
They’re also wonderful to use as a topping for focaccia bread
Or simply layer them in your panini for extra flavour

Of course it goes without saying and I probably am starting to sound like a broken record but with so few ingredients in this pasta dish, a good quality extra-virgin olive oil is always essential!

Go ahead and make some Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes tonight, I’m sure you’ll love it!

Buon Appetito !

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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5 from 1 vote

Spaghetti With Sun Dried Tomatoes

A simple yet delicious dish, Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes comes together in under 30 minutes making it an ideal meal that is perfect for busy week nights but also elegant enough for special occasions.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: supper

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: 30 minute meal, pasta, Spaghetti, sundried tomatoes

Servings: to 6

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

454 grams of spaghetti
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper to your taste
1 ½ cups oil packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Fill a large sauce pan with cold water, bring to a boil and then add in the salt and spaghetti.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions or until al dente.
A few minutes before the spaghetti is ready, add the oil in a large pan and heat on low.
Add the minced garlic, the chili flakes, salt and pepper to your taste and cook on low heat for about 3 minutes while stirring frequently taking care not to burn the garlic.
Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes just until heated through and then remove from the heat.
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sun-dried tomatoes.
Toss the pasta to coat all over with the sauce.
Add the parsley and then transfer to a serving platter.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve while still warm.

Nutrition

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

May 6, 2017 by Marisa 22 Comments

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives, a quick and tasty dish utilizing a few pantry staples such as canned sardines and dried pasta. Fresh bread crumbs are toasted til golden brown and then tossed with some snipped chives lending a delicate and subtle onion taste which doesn’t overpower but rather enhances this simple pasta dish.

Pasta con le sardine or rather Pasta with sardines is a classic Sicilian pasta dish. Most notably made with wild fennel, raisins and also anchovies. Sometimes pine nuts are also thrown in the mix.

My version here is a little spin-off from the more traditional one and inspired from Food Bloggers of Canada recipe round-up featuring chives.

I put this rather delicate herb to work by snipping off a few strands and tossing it with my homemade toasted breadcrumbs which I then used in my Sardine Spaghetti with Chives recipe.

It imparted such freshness and flavour to this simple pasta dish and was devoured in no time at all!

Being a convenient source of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and vitamin D are really great reasons to include canned sardines in our diet. And, also not to mention how fairly inexpensive the canned variety really is and so versatile!

Although they aren’t extremely bony, you may want to remove the fish bones if you’re squeamish about them. Parting the underside of the sardines to open them up and gently removing the fish bones with a small fork or knife will quickly do the trick.

Under 30 Minute Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

Coupled with the fact that sardines are so nutritious, they’re readily available year round making mealtime a breeze.

Start with a large stock pot filled with cold water. While the water comes to a roaring boil prep your ingredients both for the bread crumbs and quick sauce with sardines.

With this in mind you should basically have your meal ready in the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta.

Then simply plate and serve with a light drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil, topped with the reserved bread crumbs and garnished with fresh chives.

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives is an exceptionally easy dish with minimum preparation!

If you love this recipe you may also enjoy my Penne Rigate With Tomato Tuna Sauce featuring canned tuna.

Buon Appetito!

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Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives, a quick and tasty dish utilizing a few pantry staples such as canned sardines and dried pasta.

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

Servings: to 6

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

FRESH BREAD CRUMBS
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
PASTA
454 grams spaghetti
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
2 generous pinches of red chili flakes
3 cans of sardines packed in oil 120 grams each I cut the under side to open them and removed the fish bones
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil,
Salt the water and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
Meanwhile prepare the bread crumbs by heating 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet, over medium heat.
Add in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper and toast the crumbs, while stirring often, til they have browned.
Once browned, remove from heat and stir in the chopped fresh chives.
Transfer the toasted bread crumbs to a plate and set aside.
Using the same skillet (wiped clean), heat the 1/3 cup of oil over medium low heat.
Add in the minced garlic with the chili flakes, salt and pepper and heat till fragrant for 1 minute.
Stir in the sardines and sautè for 2 minutes, taking care not to break up the sardines over much.
Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
Add the cooked pasta to the sardine mixture with a little of the pasta water and toss well.
If pasta seems a little dry, go ahead and add a little more pasta water.
Toss with 1 cup of the toasted bread crumb and chive mixture.
Plate the pasta and garnish with remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumb and chive mixture.