Penne Rosa with Mushrooms and Shrimp
A tomato-y, creamy, healthy pasta with mushrooms and shrimp. Adapted from a popular recipe online.
A tomato-y, creamy, healthy pasta with mushrooms and shrimp. Adapted from a popular recipe online.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 10 ounces medium raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce ( i used newman's own marinara sauce and it was quite good)
- 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
- few splashes of white wine optional
- 1 tb butter optional
- Carbohydrate 226.560001559304 g
- Cholesterol 293.639947383097 mg
- Fat 30.9806291546724 g
- Fiber 7.96577708419429 g
- Protein 57.2272211274974 g
- Saturated Fat 12.2843003678354 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (1170g)
- Sodium 1014.53745010527 mg
- Sugar 218.594224475109 g
- Trans Fat 4.32515354556247 g
- Calories 1411 calories
Step-by-step
- I saute the shrimp separately (in olive oil/garlic/crushed pepper/white wine) and add them to the top of the dish (or not).
- Cook penne according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften. (Do the same in a separate skillet for the shrimp if you prefer to prepare them separately.)
- Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, pepper and white wine. Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water. (Add shrimp and a splash of white wine to the separate pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Set aside and cover to keep warm.).
- Turn heat up to medium-high and add the shrimp (if not cooking separately). Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and opaque. (skip this step if you prepared the shrimp separately).
- Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes.
- Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt, marinara sauce and butter. Stir until sauce is mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through.
- Divide into pasta bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese. Add shrimp to the dishes where preferred.
Swapping plain Greek yogurt for heavy cream alters the sauce completely, replacing rich butterfat with tangy dairy proteins that curdle instantly if subjected to aggressive heat. Managing this delicate protein structure requires specific thermal control during the final incorporation stage. When scaling this dish for a larger group, double the aromatics and mushrooms while keeping the garlic-to-oil ratio proportional to prevent burning the minced cloves in a crowded skillet. Cooking the shrimp separately in a dedicated pan prevents the seafood from releasing excess moisture into the vegetable base, which would otherwise dilute the marinara and yogurt sauce into a watery puddle. Because whole-wheat penne absorbs liquids continuously as it sits, batch cooking requires holding the pasta and sauce separately until the exact moment of service to preserve the starch integrity of the noodles.
Controlling moisture output from the eight ounces of button mushrooms dictates whether the final dish achieves a glossy emulsion or a soupy mess. Searing the fungi over medium-low heat for five minutes allows them to expel their internal cellular water before the tomatoes and wine enter the skillet. Allowing the fresh spinach to wilt under a covered lid off the heat for precisely two minutes traps residual steam without overcooking the delicate leaves into a drab puree. Whisking the Greek yogurt and marinara sauce together over very low heat prevents the dairy solids from separating into unappealing curds.
