Shrimp Florentine Pasta (Finally; a Recipie Post!)

This is a dish I made with ingredients I already had on hand, most of which needed to be used before they went bad! I had bought spinach in bulk, and the half&half had been on sale 2 weeks ago. The Parmesan was leftover from a slow product demo, the green onion was purchased for when I made dumplings, the garlic was lying around, the shrimp was in the freezer, and the spices were already in the cupboard.

For this recipe, I only used half&half because it needed to be used. Heavy Cream works far better and more easily for cream sauce recipes. In all honesty, I turned the heat on high, let the cream come to a boil, turned off the heat, and briskly stirred in the cheese. The dish tasted great, but the texture was off, likely because the cheese was slightly chilled, and was being stirred into hot boiling water. Therefore, I'm posting the less hasty technique, which I believe would come out smoother.

 If you have the time, I also suggest you wait for all the ingredients to reach room temperature before cooking. Except the frozen shrimp, of course. If using frozen shrimp, put the desired amount in a strainer and run cold water on it until fully thawed.

I used Seafood Magic seasoning, though Damon threw in Italian Seasoning also. And remember: If the sauce needs to be thicker, keep stirring in more Parmesan. If it needs to be thinner, stir in a little milk at a time.

Shrimp Florentine Pasta

Makes: 2 Servings*      

Ingredients:
2 servings Linguine (or other pasta)

1/2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
1 pint Half&Half (or Heavy Cream)
1-2 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese 
3 tsps  Seafood Seasoning (or pepper, or other desired seasoning)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Spinach
1 stalk Green Onion (optional) 
1 1/2 cups Shrimp, peeled and thawed
1-2 cups Milk or Cream, reserved for if sauce needs thinning


Instructions:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Heat stove on medium heat. Add oil and cook garlic and green onions until fragrant, about 2 mins.
3. Stir in Half&Half (or Heavy Cream).
4. Simmer cream for about 5 mins, or until very warm, but not boiling.
5. While stirring constantly, sprinkle in Parmesan until sauce reaches desired thickness.
6. Sprinkle in seasoning or pepper.
7. Stir in raw spinach.
8. Stir in shrimp.
9. Simmer sauce for another 3-5mins, stirring occasionally.
10.Serve finished sauce over cooked pasta.






*All measurements are approximated!