ready made

Why is it that Italian cuisine is almost better as a leftover? I made a generous amount of pasta the other night and I turned into a ravenous beast when I reheated it for dinner last night. This is the most simple recipe and even those who feel like they can't even boil water correctly will find that not only does this taste really damn good, but it's unbelievably quick and easy. I initially saw this on Everyday Italian, but I added the shrimp to it (Doesn't everything taste better with some form of protein in it?) and I used the spinach and chive linguine to add extra flavor, so feel free to play and add whatever you like to this super simple recipe.

Quick Shrimp and Linguine
Sea Salt
1 pound linguine (I got the spinach chive linguine at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups very finely grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves
24 deveined, tail on shrimp

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook until tender, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

For the shrimp:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large pan cover with aluminum foil and place shrimp evenly on the pan. Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme leaves to coat the shrimp. Place in the oven for about 5-8 minutes. You don't want the shrimp to dry out, but the timing depends on your oven and how well done you like your shrimp.

When the water and shrimp are done, toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter. Add the grated cheese, the pepper, and shrimp. The water, butter, and cheese make an excellent, surprisingly light sauce. Add the arugula (it wilts easily so wait to do this right before you serve) and toss to combine. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt. It tastes like an alfredo without the heavy creaminess of alfredo. I promise. Shit. Is. Good. Feeds 4-6 and make double to have plenty of leftovers to be enjoyed over the next few meals.