Creamy Rigatoni tossed with Shrimp, Zucchini & Cherry Tomatoes

               Sadly, I feel like it’s been a while since I posted a pasta recipe and especially a while since I posted one with my beloved zucchini! How could I have done this, you might be wondering….Well, with my new Asian cooking recipes and the hectic Holidays here, I’ve been a touch busy and out of my pasta-loving routine! Now since this can’t go on forever, I just had to boil some water, slice up some zucs, and get to work!

                Below is a great, great, GREAT pasta dish. It combined so many of my favorite ingredients that I knew it was going to be wonderful even before I saw the first bubble of my boil. I must say though, I normally use Pinot Grigio and this time I only had Chardonnay so it’s a touch different than a usual HT recipe. The lemon zest was an on-the-fly, why not, kind-of addition. It turned out to be a great decision, as the lemon nicely complimented the goat cheese flavor. The sauce the tomatoes created with the melted cheese also made for some necessary bread-sopping. So don’t forget to get some crunchy bread to serve with this meal. It was creamy, filling, and down-right delish, I hope you agree……Enjoy……

Creamy Rigatoni tossed with Shrimp, Zucchini, & Cherry Tomatoes

Serves: 2-4

OBJ: TCW be able to finally use up the goat cheese in her refrigerator

Ingredients:

½ lb rigatoni pasta or any other tube shaped pasta

15-20 medium shrimp, cleaned, peeled, tails removed

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

2 zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch rounds then in 1/2s and 1/4s (mixed sizes)

1 TBS unsalted butter, divided

¼ C dry white wine, (I used Chardonnay but use what you booze!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cleaned and halved

Juice and zest of ½ a lemon

S & P, salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes, optional

Procedures:

1. Heat large pot of water and bring to boil, cook pasta according to box directions, reserving ½ C pasta water

2. Heat 1 TBS oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan, add shrimp, lemon juice and zest, a pinch S & P and red pepper flakes, and cook until done, about 5 minutes. (The shrimp should be completely pink)Transfer to plate

3. To same pan, add other  1 TBS oil, ½ the butter, garlic, another pinch S &P and cook over medium-low heat. Cook until garlic is softened and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes

4. Add wine, scrape bottom on pan using a rubber spatula, and bring to boil. Then once boiling, reduce heat and bring to simmer, about 5 minutes

5. Add tomatoes, zucchini, 2 TBS reserved pasta water, and a pinch S & P to pan, place heat on medium-low and cover. Cover for about 10-15 minutes, opening once ½ way through to stir and squish tomatoes to release juice

6. Add the other ½ of butter and an additional 2 TBS water to pan, stir over medium heat for 1 minute

7. Add pasta, goat cheese, and shrimp to sauté pan and toss well to combine over medium heat. Add additional pasta water if necessary

8. Serve with additional goat cheese crumbles on top