Meal in minutes: Angel hair with shrimp and feta

This is a dinner I've been making for a few years now. It's become a regular in our house for two reasons: 1) we love it and 2) it can be prepared in no time at all. (Don't believe me? I timed it tonight and it took less than 30 minutes, start to finish. Start the water then chop the garlic and shallots; while they cook with the shrimp, chop the tomatoes. Done in minutes!)

When summer tomatoes and basil are at their peak, this tastes best, but in winter, though a little more expensive, the two ingredients create a little taste of warmer weather.

To make it even faster, use cooked, peeled shrimp. One must: use fresh basil. I made it once or twice during the winter using dried instead of spending the money for fresh: never again! And good tomatoes make a big difference too. I almost always use vine-ripened. They're seldom mealy and add great flavor.



Angel hair pasta with shrimp and feta

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small or 1 large shallot, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
4-5 vine-ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 oz. crumbled feta (more if you like!)
1 small bunch fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste


1/2 lb. angel hair pasta

In a large pot, bring water to a boil for the pasta.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the shrimp and wine. Cook until the shrimp are just cooked thru and the wine has mostly reduced.


Add the tomatoes. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly cooked, but still very fresh. This is not a traditional tomato sauce!

While the shrimp and tomatoes are cooking, cook pasta according to package directions.

Add the basil leaves, tearing the larger one if you like, and crumbled feta. Stir and let cook until the feta is incorporated but still a little chunky. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Divide pasta into pasta bowls and top with the tomato and shrimp mixture. Top with a little crumbled feta if you like.

This serves two with generous portions (and sometimes leftovers depending on how hungry my husband is!)