It’s no secret that pasta is a quick, easy weeknight dinner. Let’s keep the easy theme and upgrade it with all the flavor, veggies, and protein to make this a deliciously balanced meal. All you need is a food processor or blender to make the pesto, and you are ready to crush this recipe.
Pick your favorite type of pasta for this recipe. We have so many options when it comes to pasta these days – gluten-free, full of gluten, higher protein, traditional pasta – then add in all the different shape options, and it can be downright overwhelming. Fear not. Grab whatever pasta looks good to you, and it will be perfection. If you are skipping the shrimp addition, you may want to try a higher protein pasta. If you are headed out for your long run tomorrow, you may want to stick to the lower fiber white pasta. There’s a time and a place for all the pastas! (unless you have an allergy – then stay the heck away from those allergens!)
We absolutely love how quickly this pesto comes together, elevating this simple meal. And, this pesto counts as your vegetable with a full container of spinach included. If you’re all about those veggies, feel free to add roasted veggies or a side salad. If you struggle to hit your veggie goals, this is a great way to incorporate a full serving of veggies into your pasta. If you are feeding kids, perhaps we call this fancy green pasta or cue the popeye/hulk strong comments.
Use this recipe as a quick dinner, lunch meal prep, or it’s even delicious enough to serve while you entertain friends and family. It is tasty cold or hot, so pick whatever makes you happy there. For those of you asking for no-heat lunch prep, I ate all these leftovers cold and preferred them cold.
Shrimp Pistachio Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp
- 14.5 oz spaghetti
Pistachio Pesto
- 5 oz baby spinach fresh
- ½ cup roasted pistachios
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ lemon, juiced approx 3 Tbsp
- 2 oz grated parmesan cheese approx ⅓ cup
Instructions
- Place all pesto ingredients into a food processor. Blend until well combined and your desired texture.
- Cook your shrimp. I recommend boiling frozen shrimp for 4 - 5 minutes or until pink and cooked through.
- Cook your spaghetti. I like to use Barilla Protein+ for a little extra fiber, but you can use whatever pasta you prefer. Save a small amount of the cooking water for thinning your pesto pasta.
- Mix your pasta, shrimp, and pesto in a large bowl. If you desire a thinner pesto sauce, stir in some saved pasta water.
- You can eat this immediately for a meal or place in meal prep containers for lunches all week. This can be eaten warmed up or cold.