My own recipe : Pasta with Shrimp in Garlic Sauce

I was inspired to cook my own spiel on pasta with garlic shrimp after eating all kinds of heart busting meat and shrimp swimming in butter in Hawaii. Since we are on vacation and supplies are limited , I decided to cook with ingredients that I already have on hand to avoid wasting. I want to create a light dish that would allow us to ingest lots of healthy garlic,onion,tomato and olive oil. I added only about 1 lb. of shrimp. You may add more if you don’t have issues with high cholesterol since shrimp is a good source of protein. Do not overdo consumption because shrimp still has mercury content ,although lower than other seafood. I added cheese for flavor. You may choose to add different kind of cheese and lesser cheese or no cheese at all if you have issues with high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Cheese is high in calories, salt and fat according to this article. You may choose not to add all the garlic at once and just sprinkle it on the individual plate of pasta you are serving. I added all the garlic and the whole family loves this dish, including my picky school age kids. The shrimp I bought was only $6.50 and the entire dish is so much cheaper than eating out which costs us $40-50 bucks each time.

The benefits of garlic and onion and described in this article.
The health benefit of tomatoes are described in details on this website.
Health information on shrimp is discussed on this article.

If you ever try this recipe,please don’t forget to tell me if you like the dish or not and why. Any recommendations and comments will be appreciated.

1.) Start to boil water for 1lb. pasta of your choice. I used spaghetti.

2.) Sauté 8-10 cloves garlic on high heat with 1/2 c olive oil until crunchy but not burned. Add salt. Drain oil and set aside garlic. Sauté chopped medium to large sized onion on same oil until the edges turned brown. Add 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped. Add 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes. Simmer sauce until it thickens. Add 1/2 cup store brought marinara sauce with mushroom (or use your favorite), continue simmering. Season sauce to your liking. I added 2-3 pinches of dried basil and oregano and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

3.) Remove shells from 1lb. of shrimp and devein. Bring the shells to a boil in 1 1/2 cup of water ,and then simmer. Add the juice to the tomato sauce and discard the shells.

4.) Add crunchy garlic from step 2 and 3 slices of American cheese to the sauce, heat until melted and shrimp are fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Serve over pasta and enjoy.

Fried Garlic

Boiled shrimp shells

Simmering sauce with cheese