Creamy Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz pasta I used small shells
½ lb shrimp peeled and deveined; option to have tails on or off
1½ tablespoon unsalted butter divided
3-4 pieces lemon peel
¼ small onion diced; about ⅔ cup
3-4 cloves garlic minced
½ cup whole fat milk or cream
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp cream cheese
6 oz broccoli florets chopped to roughly the same size
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice about half a lemon
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook until very al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.

Step 2: Meanwhile, pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt ½ tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp in a single layer until opaque, about 1-2 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Step 3: Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add lemon zest and onion, sautéing for 2-3 minutes until onion starts to get translucent at edges. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add milk, cream cheese, ½ cup pasta water, and season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 4: Then add broccoli, cooked pasta, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Turn the heat to high and stir constantly until pasta absorbs most of the liquid and broccoli is bright green and tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add more pasta water as needed for the sauce. Remove lemon zest and season to taste.

Step 5: Turn off the heat. Add shrimp back in and pour in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Stir and taste, adding more lemon juice as preferred. Serve immediately and top with additional parmesan cheese if desired.

Paired with Tyrrell's Semillon
Adapted from Balance with Jess 2021

Creamy Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Shrimp

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