Quick and easy shrimp pasta with zesty and creamy avocado chimichurri sauce!
Ingredients
For Chimichurri Sauce:
1large avocado
Large bundle fresh cilantro
4garlic cloves
1seeded jalapeno pepper
4sprigs fresh oregano
Small bundle fresh mint
½cupfreshly-squeezed orange juice
½cupfreshly-squeezed lime juice
Zest from 1 orange
¼cupolive oil
2teaspoonssalt
For Shrimp:
2poundsjumbo shrimp; peeled and deveined
½tspEACH: cumin, smoked paprika
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
cooking oil, such as avocado oil
1poundBarilla® Penne Pasta
Instructions
Cooking the Pasta:
Prepare the Barilla® Penna Pasta first. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt to taste. Add the pasta, stir and cook for 11 minutes until paste is ‘al dente’.
Making the Sauce:
While pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Split the avocado in half and scoop out into a food processor. Split the jalapeno and remove the seeds, then add to the avocado. Add the leafy parts of the cilantro, mint leaves and oregano.
Zest one orange and add the zest to the food processor. Add the freshly-squeezed orange juice and lime juice; add the garlic, olive oil and salt. Pulse all the ingredients together for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce is smooth. Set sauce aside until ready to use.
Cooking the Shrimp:
Next, prepare the shrimp. Place the shrimp into a large bowl and season with cumin, smoked paprika, ground black pepper and a generous amount of salt.
Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add a splash of olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add half of the shrimp. Cook the shrimp in two batches to avoid over-crowding the pan. Cook the shrimp 4 to 5 minutes, turning half-way through, cooking until the shrimp is no longer translucent.
Putting it all Together:
Once the pasta is cooked, drain off the water. Add the chimichurri and the shrimp, then toss all the ingredients together until the pasta is well coated. Serve immediately.