Lemon Shrimp and Spinach Fettuccine

In preparation for the massive amounts of food I will cook and consume over the holiday months, I decided to start hitting the gym again. Yayyyy….. : / When I get home I’m exhausted and I just want something quick to eat. All too often ‘fast food’ is usually not healthy food, so I put together a meal that’s light, filling, and cooks in 20-25 minutes! I still washed it down with a delicious beer, but hey.. baby steps right?

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(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

8oz fettuccine

1-2 Tbs unsalted butter

½ lb medium shrimp, uncooked, peeled and rinsed

2 Tbs olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

5 handfuls of fresh baby spinach

1 tsp lemon zest

Juice from half of a lemon

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add fettuccine. Boil for 12 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally.

While waiting on the pasta I like to do the prep work for my other ingredients. Peel and rinse shrimp. Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside. Grate lemon zest and slice garlic.

If your pasta finishes cooking before you have the rest of your meal prepped, drain, rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking, and return to pot. Add a few tablespoons of butter to keep the pasta from sticking and cover with a lid until you’re ready.

(1.) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat. Add garlic slices when hot and cook for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. (2.) Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing frequently, until pink and opaque. (3.) Turn heat to low-medium setting and add spinach and fettuccine. Cook for 1-2 more minutes or until spinach just begins to wilt. (4.) Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and cayenne.