{recipe} shrimp leek and spinach pasta.

there is nothing like a bright and shiny new kitchen to get a girl back cooking. so one of the first nights in our new home, once the kitchen was unpacked i was excited to try out a recipe i had seen on the cover of real simple forever ago.

i am a huge fan of pasta that is light and fresh, and not your normal pasta and tomato sauce kind of dish and this one is just that. i am going to try to even lighten it up a bit more but substituting whole wheat pasta and using greek yogurt next time, i will let you know how it turns out! enjoy!

{source: real simple}

Shrimp, Leek and Spinach Pasta.
Ingredients

12 ounces gemelli, fusilli, or some other short pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks (white and light green parts only), cut into half-moons
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup heavy cream
10 ounces baby spinach (about 12 cups)

Directions

1.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks have softened, 3 to 5 minutes. 

3. Add the shrimp and lemon zest and cook, tossing frequently, until the shrimp is opaque throughout, 4 to 5 minutes more.

 

4. Add the cream and ½ teaspoon salt to the pasta in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shrimp mixture and the spinach and toss to combine.