Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

"I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food."

C'mon ladies...I know you are all with me on this one. Sometimes after a long day at work, nothing sounds better than a big glass of white wine. But what's even better is if you can pour a little bit of that glass right into what your cooking and end up with a fabulous tasting, easy weeknight meal. And that's exactly what this Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta delivers. Like you even needed an excuse to buy a new bottle of Sauvignon Blanc!

You should have most of the ingredients in your pantry already so after work all you need to do is grab some fresh shrimp and parsley at the grocery store, pour yourself a big girl glass of wine, and get to cooking!

You begin by sautéing garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, and shrimp in butter and extra virgin olive oil. Remove the shrimp as soon as they begin to turn pink. This only takes a couple of minutes.

Now is the time where you have to practice some self restraint and tip a 1/2 cup of your white wine into the pan allowing it to deglaze and reduce down. Next you practice no self restraint and add another dab of butter and olive oil to the pan to get that delicious, buttery, garlic sauce that scampi is known for.

Once the butter has melted and the sauce has developed, simply return the shrimp to the pan.

Add a sprinkling of chopped parsley for a little pop of color and fresh flavor.

Toss together the shrimp scampi mixture with 3/4 pound of cooked angel hair pasta. You can use a full pound of pasta if you are cooking for a crowd, but I think the sauce and flavor of the scampi gets lost when you add too much starchy pasta to the party. Besides, the scampi is so rich and satisfying without a ton of pasta and we could all use to cut a little carbs in the winter months!

And of course you can't serve pasta without a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

There you have it, a fresh yet satisfying pasta dish that takes as long to cook as it does to polish off your first glass of wine!

Shrimp Scampi
3/4 lb Angel Hair Pasta
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes until translucent and soft. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook until just pink (being careful not to overcook because they will be added back to the pan later).  Remove shrimp from pan to a separate plate with a slotted spoon; try to avoid removing too much of the onion or butter sauce during this process.

Add wine and juice of one lemon to the pan and bring to a boil to allow for the wine to reduce. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and olive oil.  Return shrimp to pan, cooked angel hair pasta, and parsley. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.