Penne Rosa with Shrimp

A fun pasta recipe from Back to Her Roots. The red pepper flakes really give this dish a kick, watch you don't use too much more than a pinch!


12oz whole wheat penne
1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
8oz button mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb), chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 c fresh spinach
10oz medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 c marinara sauce
1/3 c plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated

1. Cook penne according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
2. 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.
3. Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.
4. Turn heat up to medium-high and add in shrimp. Cook for 1-2minutes, or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2minutes.
5. Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt and pasta sauce. 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.

Tortellini with Edamame and Smoked Sausage

An adaption of this recipe, I used kielbasa sausage.  It was superb!  

1 lb frozen cheese tortellini
1 c shelled edamame
1 large red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1/2 c Italian dressing

1. Set 6 quarts of salted water to boil in a large pot.
2. Stir-fry red pepper, onion and sausage together until heated through (about 5minutes).
3. Add tortellini to boiling water and cook for 5minutes.
4. Add edamame to water and boil for another 2 minutes. Drain tortellini and edamame well.
5. Toss everything together with the Italian dressing and heat through one final time.