Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Happy Holidays! With the hectic times of the season, there's been a lot of delivery and eating out, but last night I was able to whip up a new pasta dish - Shrimp Pesto Pasta! This was a fairly easy dish and only took about 30 minutes max. You could add some veggies to this if you'd like (maybe asparagus), so feel free to get creative! This was super tasty and will make for some really good leftovers! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

~.75 pound fresh pasta (I used fresh casarecce from our Italian market)

1 pound shrimp (peeled, deveined -- I used fresh gulf shrimp)

~ 1 cup fresh basil pesto sauce (can use jarred)

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup artichoke hearts, marinated and quartered (don't have to be marinated)

1/4 cup fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half

1/4 cup shredded parmesan (grated would also work)

salt and pepper, to taste

dash of Italian seasoning

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tb oil

Directions:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook the pasta per the directions. While the water is heating up, in a separate skillet or saute pan, heat 1 tb of olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss in the shrimp in an even layer and top with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes until pink. Flip the shrimp and add a little more salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning if desired. Cook for another 2 minutes and move the shrimp to the outer edges. Add the tomatoes to the center of the pan and cook for another minute or so. Toss in the artichokes and stir together. Add the juice of half a lemon and the mozzarella. When the pasta is cooked, strain and add to the saute pan with the shrimp mixture. Toss well with a dash of pasta water. Serve immediately and top with the parmesan. Enjoy!