Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Parmesan Lemon Cream Sauce

Some recipes are just so good I can’t wait to share them with you, and this is one of them. It’s simple. Just peeled shrimp, cooked just through in a sauce of cream and lemon juice, and tossed with herbs, angel hair pasta, and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. My dad was over when we were making it and kept looking up from his bowl saying, “oh, this is a good one.” I’ve been poking into the fridge all afternoon sneaking more tastes from the leftovers, a small bowl of just a couple bites reheated in the microwave.

For those of you tempted to leave out the cream, yes, you can do that if you want. I’ve tried it without the cream and in my opinion, it’s not nearly as good. Personally I would just eat a smaller portion. Because of the cream it’s more filling and you don’t need as much pasta for a serving.

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Parmesan Lemon Cream Sauce Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4.

We used medium shrimp (41-50 per pound) for this recipe, but little cocktail shrimp would also work. Use heavy whipping cream to avoid curdling when mixed and heated with the lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 pound angel hair pasta (also called capellini)
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined*
• 1/2 cup (loosely packed) chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped chives
• Zest of a lemon
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

*To defrost frozen shrimp, place them in a bowl of ice water.

Method

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2 In a smaller pot, heat the cream, chicken stock and lemon juice to a low simmer. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.

3 Add the angel hair pasta to the boiling water.

4 Add the shrimp to the simmering lemon cream sauce. Stir well and add a pinch of salt and black pepper. The shrimp should cook in about the same time as the angel hair pasta, about 4 to 5 minutes.

5 When the pasta is done, drain and put it in a large bowl. Add the herbs to the simmering lemon cream sauce and let them cook for about 1 minute. Pour the shrimp and lemon sauce into the pasta bowl and mix well. Add the lemon zest and most of the parmesan and mix again. Divide into servings, and top with the remaining parmesan.

Note, if the resulting mixture seems too dry, just add a little water or cream. If it seems too wet, don't worry, the pasta will absorb the sauce.

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