Marinara Shrimp Pasta with Vegetables
This post has been sponsored by Barilla America Inc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This delicious Barilla® Marinara Shrimp Pasta With Vegetables is a beautiful meal that tastes like a restaurant special and is impressive enough to serve for company, but in reality is so simple and quick to prepare. It’s perfect for those busy nights when you don’t have the time (or energy) to make anything complicated.
The juicy shrimp, aromatic and colorful vegetables really elevate this comforting pasta dish.
With school back in session and the busy fall season back in full swing, most of us have full schedules. Finding the time to balance everything on our plates can be challenging, especially when we’re getting used to new routines. This is why I am so happy to be working with Publix and Barilla to introduce one of their new and updated products, Barilla® Marinara Sauce.
In the time that it takes that water to come to a boil and cook the rigatoni pasta, the rest of the meal comes together and is all ready at the same time. Not only that, but this is also a one dish dinner – with zucchini, bell pepper and onion added to the sauce, you have your vegetables, starch and protein all in one. Less dishes, less fuss, less time at the stove – it’s an all around win.
Tips For Quick Weeknight Meals
Jarred pasta sauce is a lifesaver when you want to prepare a quick and healthy meal for your hungry family members. I make sure to always have several jars in my pantry and this helps me come up with something delicious any day of the week. Barilla® Marinara Sauce tastes so delicious, as though I was simmering the sauce for hours, but I conveniently just poured it out of the jar. It’s also so important to me that I can feel great using a sauce that doesn’t have any GMO or preservatives in it—just healthy ingredients. Click HERE to learn more about all the premium sauce varieties Barilla has to offer!
Along with jarred tomato sauce, pasta and frozen shrimp are also ingredients that are staples in my kitchen. Pasta is shelf stable, cooks really quickly and there are endless options of what you can make with it. Frozen shrimp thaws really quickly and takes minutes to cook, so it’s an excellent option.
Weeknight dinners can sometimes be a challenge, especially when you want to feed your family a healthy dinner that doesn’t take hours to prepare.
You can buy both the Barilla Marinara Sauce and the Barilla Rigatoni pasta at Publix, my boys’ favorite grocery store :). They don’t mind running errands with me when Publix is one of our stops because they get to drive their car cart and get free cookies from the nice bakery employees. Right now, the Barilla Premium sauces are 2 for $5—making it a win for the whole family!
What Vegetables Work the Best For Quick Pasta Dinners?
I am using red onion, celery, bell peppers, zucchini and garlic for this recipes. These vegetables cook quickly and complement the tomato sauce really well.
Some other options are carrots, yellow squash, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, and eggplant. Mix and match all these vegetables to create your own unique combinations.
What Kind Of Shrimp Is Best To Use For This Recipe?
Frozen shrimp is actually the best option, unless you’re buying fresh raw shrimp at a market where they sell it right after catching it. Frozen shrimp is usually frozen immediately when it’s caught, so it is really fresh. Plus, it’s really convenient to have frozen shrimp on hand for a really easy and quick dinner. Frozen shrimp thaws really quickly.
The bigger the shrimp, the more juicy it will be, so look for large or jumbo shrimp. It is less likely to overcook and you can get a sear on the larger shrimp without making it rubbery.
Marinara Shrimp Pasta With Vegetables Recipe
Cook the Pasta: While you bring the water to a boil and cook the pasta, the rest of the meal comes together in no time and hopefully everything will be done at the same time.
Shrimp: Peel, devein and sauté the shrimp.
Cooking the Shrimp
In a large skillet, heat up 1 Tablespoon of olive oil until it’s really hot and then quickly add the shrimp, placing it in one layer in the hot skillet. You will need to cook the shrimp in 2 batches.
The most important thing is to make sure you don’t overcook the shrimp. By the time I placed the last shrimp into the skillet, it was time to start flipping the first shrimp. The shrimp will easily release from the skillet when they are ready. The shrimp only need 1-2 minutes per side to cook through. Set the cooked shrimp aside.
Vegetables: Slice the red onion and celery, cut the bell pepper and zucchini into thin strips. Mince the garlic.
Sauté the red onion with the celery first, then add the bell pepper and garlic. Add the zucchini at the very end after adding the sauce, so that it doesn’t get mushy and watery.
Combine the shrimp, veggies and sauce with the cooked pasta, mixing to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, if needed.
Serve warm, garnishing with more fresh herbs and grated Parmesan cheese, if you’d like.
- Try the NEW Barilla® Sauces, available for purchase at your local Publix store.
Marinara Shrimp With Zucchini and Peppers
A delicious Marinara Shrimp Pasta with vegetables – onion, celery, bell pepper and zucchini. The juicy shrimp and colorful vegetables make this a stunning dinner that is so easy to prepare, perfect for busy evenings.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
1 lb Barilla® rigatoni pasta
olive oil, for sautéing
1 1/2 lbs large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 red onion, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
2–5 garlic cloves, minced
1 24 oz jar Barilla® Marinara sauce
1 medium zucchini, cut into strips
1/2 – 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs like basil and parsley
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then cook the pasta the way you like it.
Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients. Peel and devein the shrimp. Slice the red onion and celery, cut the bell pepper and zucchini into thin strips. Mince the garlic.
When the pasta is cooked, set aside at least 1 cup of the pasta water, so you can thin out the sauce later. The starchy water is perfect to be able to adjust the sauce to the consistency that you like without diluting it too much.
Season the peeled shrimp with 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper.
In a large skillet, heat up 1 Tablespoon of olive oil until it’s really hot and then add then quickly add the shrimp, placing it in one layer in the hot skillet. You will need to cook the shrimp in 2 batches.
The most important thing is to make sure you don’t overcook the shrimp. By the time I placed the last shrimp into the skillet, it was time to start flipping the first shrimp. The shrimp will easily release from the skillet when they are ready. The shrimp only need 1-2 minutes per side to cook through. Set the cooked shrimp aside.
In the same skillet, add another 1/2 Tablespoon of oil, if it needs it, reduce the heat to medium and add the red onion and the celery. Season with salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
The vegetables should release some liquid as the cook, which will help to deglaze the skillet from all the brown bits left over from the shrimp. If the skillet is too dry, pour in a small amount of water, just enough to scrape off the fond from the bottom of the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes, just until the onion and celery start to soften.
Clear some room in the bottom of the skillet and add the garlic to the space, cooking for 30 seconds – 1 minute, until the garlic becomes aromatic and is tender, but be careful not to burn the garlic. If the skillet is too dry, add a tiny bit of oil to the garlic.
Add the bell pepper as well. Season the bell pepper with salt and ground black pepper as well. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until all the vegetables have softened.
Pour in the marinara sauce, mixing to combine. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the skillet with a lid and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
Add the zucchini to the sauce, mixing to combine. Cook until the zucchini is tender, but still has some crispness, about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the fresh herbs.
Combine the shrimp, veggies and sauce with the cooked pasta, mixing to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, if needed.
Serve warm, garnishing with more fresh herbs and grated Parmesan cheese, if you’d like.
