Meg’s Shrimp Primavera

Are your garden sweet peppers ready yet?  How about tomatoes?  This is just the dish for them. Shrimp, tomatoes, fresh colorful peppers, sweet onions, sautéed mushrooms.  With pasta.

Is your mouth watering yet?  Shrimp Primavera is one of those dishes that you can dress up or down.  In other words, it is versatile and it is easy to prepare.

The first time I made this dish was for a formal Christmas Eve dinner.  We loosely follow a common tradition to have seafood on Christmas Eve.  I like the festive look with all the brightly colored sautéed vegetables in the intense red tomato sauce for the holidays.  Top with sautéed shrimp, it’s a color explosion.  Serve over a bed of thin spaghetti or your pasta of choice with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

We served it for Amy’s Gotcha Day dinner even though it’s Meg’s favorite.

The tablescape is plain with a white mixed bouquet from the grocery store, our “fancy” Home Goods place mats that go with our Havilland china.  Flowers make any table special.

This looks good served on simple soup plates that allow the dish to shine.  There is a reason basic white dishes are a plus to have in you cabinets.  Serve with crusty French bread and a plain lettuce salad.

This delicious dish is a regular for us!  Enjoy!

Shrimp Primavera

Ingredients:

FOR THE SAUCE

• 6 tablespoons butter or 6 tablespoons margarine
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
• 1 ounce Knorr Newberg sauce mix
• (or similar using white sauce wiht a touch of milk, about 1/8 cup)
• 1 (32 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon dry basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

FOR THE VEGETABLES

• 1/2 lb mushroom, halved (or quartered if large)
• 1 cup green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, cut into 1-inch squares
• 2 tablespoons butter, for sauteing

FOR THE PASTA

• 1 lb fresh linguine (or quality dry pasta)

FOR THE SHRIMP

• 1 lb large shrimp, fully cooked, thawed and drained
• sauté in Old Bay Spice and butter for warming and flavor