Bringing Back Sunday Dinner - Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Linguine

Tonights post is going to be very simplistic. My depression has been a little much to manage today so I'm going very Spartan with this post. Forgive me, but it is what it is. It's a thing I manage like I manage my household; somedays are just better than others. Tomorrow will be better, it always is.

I first saw this recipe on Instagram because I follow healthy fitness meals. She's got some really great recipes. Check out her site: http://healthyfitnessmeals.com/

This one looked SO good I decided to go ahead and give it a go; looked simple enough.

Ingredients:

10 oz (dry weight) linguine pasta (sub whole wheat)

1 cup reserved pasta water

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

3 large garlic cloves, crushed/minced, divided

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 lb fresh prawns (shrimp) without shells, washed and deveined

1 tsp crushed red chili/flakes (adjust to suit your tastes)

2 tsp sweet (or smokey) paprika 

Salt to season

8 oz tub low fat/fat free cream cheese

2 cups low fat/skim milk

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Salt to season

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package instructions in a pot of salted boiling water, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, drain and rinse.

While pasta is boiling, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Fry 1 clove of garlic until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and fry until browned.

Stir through 1-2 tablespoons of water and cook them for a further minute. Remove them from pan and set aside.

To the same pan, add the remaining oil and 2 cloves of garlic with the shrimp, and fry just until the shrimp changes color. Add the chili/pepper flakes, paprika, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for a further 2 minutes. Stir the mushrooms through.

In a separate pot, add the cream cheese and milk, and bring them to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, and add the cheeses. When melted, stir in the prawns and the pasta through the sauce, and cook on low heat for a further 2 minutes. 

Add reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time, until reaching your desired consistency.

So this is a really good recipe and Mitch told me to go ahead and keep it. We didn't go with the low fat  or fat free, and definitely didn't go with the skim milk. We made this full on, but actually did use the wheat pasta. We'll be definitely making this again. 

And even after my very rough day this is how my hubby makes me smile even when I don't feel like it:

The texted picture from upstairs while I'm exercising downstairs

I can always count on him. I'm a very blessed woman.