Sunday, January 15, 2012

Garlic Spinach Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti Squash


It's snowing here.
Yeah, and I have about 20 lbs of chicken thighs marinating and, now cancelled, incoming 25 family members. We're trying to re-schedule for tomorrow, so now I have to find something to eat for the two of us for tonight.  My sister had the same problem at her house... "I have a huge salad for tonight and not much else to make".

Don't you just hate to make an unexpected dinner, one that you had no intention of making?

What I improvised was delicious and something I will make again. Last night, besides the 20lbs of teriyaki chicken, I didn't really have anything else that was thawed.  I had a small amount of cooked frozen prawns and lots of fresh veggies.  I could have easily made this and served it over rice, pasta or polenta instead of spaghetti squash.  But I love spaghetti squash and I needed to use this one.

It was so yummy, and even though we ate kind of a lot, we felt good knowing we were mostly filled with veggies!


 (I forgot to photograph the fresh spinach and red pepper flakes.  
The wine? 
It was for me, I didn't end up using the wine in this dish as the juice of one lemon was perfect!)

Serves 2-4
Ingredients

2-3 cups prawns, fresh or frozen
2-3 Tbsp olive oil (or butter, or combination)
1/2 cup onions, sliced
1/2 cup orange bell pepper, chopped
8-10 mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1-2 cups of fresh baby spinach, chopped or left whole
2 Tbsp parsley, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 lemon,  juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt & Fresh Pepper

2-4 cups spaghetti squash or pasta

Microwave the spaghetti squash for about 15 minutes. BE SURE to poke some holes in it with a sharp knife (carefully...) so that it doesn't explode in your microwave! 

Removing the hot spaghetti squash from the microwave, cut it in half with a serrated knife.  Remove the seed section from the squash, if possible, before shredding the meat of the squash with a fork. (see that darker yellow section with the seeds in it? Take that out!)



Over medium high heat, add olive oil to a large saute pan.  Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, add the bell pepper and mushrooms (if using) and the garlic.  Saute another 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach, lemon zest and parsley.  Cook until the spinach is mostly wilted and add the prawns and cook until the prawns are pink.  Add lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, taste and adjust if needed.  If you don't think there is enough sauce, you could add a tablespoon of butter, or white wine. Serve immediately over hot spaghetti squash or other noodles.

Here's some other ideas with frozen prawns:

Baked Prawns with Feta and Orzo Pasta
Jambalaya- Chicken, Hot Links & Shrimp
Prawns al Fresco 
Shrimp, Cream & White Beans over Rice- Cajun Comfort Food
Southwestern Seafood Chowder
Spicy Shrimp Curry





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