Shrimp Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Capers

This dish is my go to meal when I don’t feel like cooking or just don’t have the time.  One of the biggest challenges that I hear from working mothers, and fathers is managing work and home life.  Providing our families with a home cooked meal is something we all work hard to do.  I can hear my single girl/guy friends saying “What about us”, yes, you too can enjoy this fab meal, and the leftovers taste even better the next day.

I’ve combined pasta with one of my all time favorites “Sun-dried tomatoes” and capers; the added lemon compliments the shrimp nicely.  A few tips:  I personally like to rinse the capers in a small colander to control the amount of salt in my dish.  When it comes to the sun-dried tomatoes, unless they are packed in oil, they need to be re-hydrated before use.  This is done by setting the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water, and letting them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  The biggest time saver is buying shrimp that has been peeled and deveined.  If its on sale do not pass this up.  Hope this becomes one of your go to dishes, like its been for me!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup white wine or broth
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 pound of pasta
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 4 garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup capers
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Heat a pan on low to medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil, shallots and garlic.  Let this cook for 5 minutes, until the shallots become translucent.  To keep the garlic from burning, stir continuously or be sure to keep an eye on your mixture.  Another option is to wait until the last minute to add the garlic to the pan with the shallots.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, white wine (or broth) and lemon juice to the pan.  Stir to combine all ingredients.  After 2-3 minutes or once you see the liquid start to simmer, add the shrimp and season with salt/pepper to taste.  Be sure to spread your mixture in an even layer in the pan.  Saute until the shrimp turns pink, no more than 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often.  Turn off your heat, add remaining olive oil, butter and cooked pasta.  Toss well, and serve.