Spicy Shrimp and Fettuccine

I know I promised to try to mix some actual meals in with all of the desserts I usually post on the blog. To that end, I have actually been trying a lot of new recipes out for dinner the past few weeks. The only problem I’ve run into is getting pictures of the food before we dig in for dinner. Most of the time we’re pretty hungry by the time the food is ready and the last thing I want to do is take the time to compose the perfect shot. It also goes without saying that hot food is preferable to cold and setting up a good shot leads to a cold dinner! I’ve decided that I’d rather post a variety of recipes and just accept that I’m not going to be 100% happy with all of the photos. We all know that taste is what matters anyway, right?

I saw this recipe here and immediately starred it in my Google Reader. The great thing about the recipe is that it uses so few ingredients that it’s a cinch to throw together. It also incorporates shrimp and pasta – two of my favorite things! This is a perfect weeknight meal as it comes together in about 15 minutes. I even used canned tomatoes in place of fresh to make things easier on myself. The sour cream and tomato paste create a surprisingly creamy sauce with just a little bit of heat from the red pepper flakes. I’ll definitely be making this dish again and I think I might try to use fire roasted diced tomatoes just to change things up a bit but the recipe is absolutely delicious as written too!

Spicy Shrimp and Fettuccine
from Cooking Light, October 2007 via MyRecipes.com (as seen on The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch)

8 ounces (1/2 lb) uncooked fettuccine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 5) (I used one 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, drained of most of their liquid)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese