Macaroni May #3

Middle of the month and I'm working on knocking some serious time off dinner. There are days when an extra five minutes can make a difference. With that in mind, I switched pasta type this week to a thin spaghetti. I personally don't like the texture quite as well as macaroni and it doesn't hold the sauce as well, but due to it's very thin dimensions, it cooks quicker.

Pesto, Pasta, Prawns, Portabellos, and Peas

The meal this week looks and sounds fancy, and it sort of is, but it's also very easy and super quick. The pasta is self explanatory, start it first. The peas are boiled in water in the microwave. The pesto sauce comes from a jar which is probably cheating on some level, but not really. While all of that is going on, take one pound of the smallest thawed raw shrimp you can buy, and cook them in a hot pan with olive oil and a little garlic salt. It only takes a few minutes to turn them pink and when they're pink, they're done, don't over cook them. Pop them out of the pan and while it's still hot, put in the mushrooms. Use fresh ones, sliced. If they're holding a lot of moisture then they'll cook in their own juices, if they're dry then add a little olive oil to the pan. Again, they cook very fast, so pay attention. Toss the shrimp, mushrooms and finished pasta with as much pesto as you like. I only use 3-4 tbs for the whole recipe for the kids because their gentle little taste buds get overwhelmed. For me, I use more. Serve with peas on the side and you have a quick alliterative meal. This cooked up in 16 minutes and 42 seconds and I was so happy with myself that I had to give me a high five.