St. Patricks Day Special- Shrimp Pesto Spaghetti

St. Patricks day is just around the corner, precisely 5 days away, and I was craving preparing something green in the kitchen. My first food for thought was matcha cupcakes, but I didn't have matcha on hand so that one was ruled out. Next on the contenders' list was a green colored St. Patrick's cocktail, but then I wasn't feeling sugar and calories. So last option was to whip up something from ingredients I already had in the pantry/refrigerator. Hence this 'SHRIMP PESTO SPAGHETTI'- a recipe that needed just a handful of ingredients, zero effort, and less than twenty minutes to make. 
I love Italian food, but ever since I went Gluten-Free two years ago, I cut back on eating pizza and pasta, not coz of lack of GF pasta, but coz of the texture of the GF pasta options available out there. Don't mean to gross you out, but it did feel like eating goop. The pasta would shred easily while boiling and end up in a big lumpy goop each time. But I'm glad the GF spaghetti is far from becoming goopy, it comes out just as regular spaghetti and the taste is relatively close to regular pasta. 
What makes this dish all the more devouring is the impromptu spice rub mix I made. A blend of smoked paprika ( kashmiri deggi mirch ), coriander powder, salt and lemon juice, the spice rub rendered the shrimp full of flavors. I used the store-bought Pesto sauce, but if you are feeling a bit more adventurous you could try this recipe for homemade pesto. 
Ready in just about 20 minutes and one that guarantees loads of compliments and hand-kisses, this dish will surely be your lucky clover- HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY !!

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SERVES -4

PREP+COOK TIME - 20 mins 

Ingredients

• 10 ounces dry spaghetti ( I used Gluten Free spaghetti ) 
• 3/4 cup basil pesto ( I used Kirkland brand store-bought pesto ) 
• 1 pound medium to large shrimp ( bought pre-cleaned and deveined ) 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tbsp spice rub for shrimp ( see below ) 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes 
• Optional garnish: chopped parsley and red chili flakes

Spice rub for shrimp- 1 tbsp smoked paprika ( I used Kashmiri Deggi Mirch), 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp salt, 1 lime juice 
Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
2. While the spaghetti is cooking, marinate the shrimp in the spice rub and olive oil. Leave for ten minutes.
3. Thereafter, heat some olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-4 minutes or until the shrimps are just pink and opaque. Turn off the heat.
4. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the pan with the shrimp. Stir in the pesto.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese to the pan. Garnish with chopped parsley and red chili flakes if desired. ENJOY !!
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