Recipe of the Week: Shrimp Scampi with Rainbow Carrot Ribbons

Since my husband travels a lot, I’m always on the lookout for simple, yummy meals that I can cook up just for moi. (Though I may reserve some time for a little solo dining at a few of the establishments on our list of 10 best new restaurants.) So when I found local gal Mackenzie Schieck’s blog Single Servings, in which she makes “the often troublesome task of cooking for one both easy and delicious,” I was thrilled I’d have some fresh new food-creation options.

For this Single Servings recipe, she’s pairing pasta and seafood. “I’ve been really into spring pastas this year and wanted to incorporate rainbow carrots into a recipe somehow—they’re just so pretty!” Schieck, a former editor at Allrecipes.com says. “The carrots and shrimp ended up working really well together, and it’s a super fast dish to whip up.”

Note from Schieck: “I usually prep meals on Sunday to make weeknights easier, so I divide each recipe’s instructions into “prep” and “cook and serve.” Prepped ingredients can be wrapped and refrigerated until they’re ready to be cooked, or if someone wants to make the recipe from start to finish at dinnertime, they can just continue to the cook-and-serve steps.”

Shrimp Scampi with Rainbow Carrot Ribbons
Prep time: 10 min | Cook and serve time: 15 min

Ingredients:
3 lasagna noodles
4-6 rainbow carrots
Cooking spray
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons butter
8-10 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Pepper, to taste

Prep:

1. Use a potato peeler to peel carrots into long ribbons (discard outer layers).
2. Break lasagna noodles into 2-inch pieces.
3. Prepare parsley.

Cook and serve:

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook until al dente, 6 to 9 minutes. Drain well.
2. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Add carrot ribbons and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
3. Cut garlic into thin slices.
4. In a small skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add garlic and shrimp, cooking until garlic starts to brown and shrimp turns pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Pour the broth into the skillet and bring to a low boil—allow to cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and pour into an individual serving bowl.
6. Stir in carrots, noodles, and parsley, and then sprinkle with cheese.
7. Season with pepper. (If using a low-sodium broth, you may want a little salt, too.)