Kale + Pistachio Shrimp Pasta Skillet

I had a different post planned for tonight (Finn’s recent eats!!!) but dinner was so good and so easy that I had to share it with you ASAP, especially in light of all of the cooking talk going on around here.

I made a shrimp pasta dish that was ready in under 20 minutes and that Finn LOVED!

This creation was inspired by a recipe that I saw in Real Simple while visiting my grandmother. What I loved about it was the combo of shrimp, kale and pistachios but what I didn’t love about it was the cooking method which called for boiling everything together in one pot. In my mind, the kale and shrimp needed to be sautéed along with some garlic and I wanted to add some things like sun-dried tomatoes, basil and red pepper flakes.

It took me about 20 minutes to make this dinner while Finn crawled around on the kitchen floor. It worked so much better for me to cook dinner BEFORE his bedtime and the extra benefit of how much he loved it was motivation to keep doing this!

Y’all…Finn went crazy over this dinner. I gave him pieces of pasta, shrimp and kale and he ate all of it. The cutest thing was that he “slurped” the flavor/seasoning off of all of it before he ate it. Such a fun reinforcement for me to keep introducing him to new flavors. He seemed to love the lemon/garlic theme that was going here. I even held a lemon out to him after he came out of the high chair and he kept leaning in to suck on it! He really liked that sour flavor! And I think shrimp is his favorite protein. He goes crazy over it.

This dish features bowtie pasta that is tossed with tuscan kale, garlic, shrimp and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s finished off with chopped pistachios, basil and parmesan.

Here’s the recipe!

KALE AND PISTACHIO SHRIMP PASTA SKILLET

Kale + Pistachio Shrimp Pasta Skillet

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• Author: Jen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Description

A kale, pistachio and shrimp pasta dish that is ready in under 20 minutes!

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Ingredients

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• 6 ounces bowtie/farfalle pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch of lacinto kale, stemmed and chopped (about 5 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/4 cup chicken stock or white wine
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios, chopped
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  Red pepper flakes, if desired
• Shredded parmesan cheese, if desired

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add kale and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add garlic, lemon zest and sun-dried tomatoes and sauté for another minute.
5. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp is almost cooked through. Season mixture with salt and pepper while cooking.
6. Add chicken stock or wine and continue cooking until liquid is absorbed and shrimp is cooked through.
7. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add lemon juice, chopped pistachios and basil.
9. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you want to spice it up or shredded parm if you want cheese (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!)

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Notes

You might want to reserve 1/4-1/2 of the pasta cooking water to mix in if you plan to hold this dish for a while. It’s great for “rehydrating” the pasta.

Best pasta dish you’ve cooked lately? 

What’s your baby/kid’s favorite protein. Finn’s seriously might be shrimp! He goes crazy over it.