I love a yummy comfort food pasta, and this definitely fits the bill. It warmed me up on this cold day, and was even better later re-heated. Just remember it’s only as good as the ingredients you put in it, so choose a good cheese and a good heavy cream for your sauce, and always keep good butter on hand. You can choose pretty much any vegetable to put in here instead of mushrooms (or omit them entirely), but I think the mushrooms paired nicely with the shrimp. Also, I think garlic would’ve gone nicely with the dish and will definitely try it in there next time I make this.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 lb fettuccine pasta
• 1 carton of mushrooms
• 1 1/2 lbs shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 2 cups of shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or Parmigiano-Asiago blend
• Salt and Pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta as directed on pasta box or how you like it. Personally, I think al dente is gross and like fully cooked pasta 🙂 You can begin work on the next steps while your pasta is cooking. Note that when the pasta is done, it’s best to drain it and put it straight back into the pot you cooked it in and toss with some olive oil to keep it from sticking together.

2. Slice your portobello mushrooms and then sauté with 2 tablespoons of butter and season liberally with salt and pepper. Allow to cook for a few minutes on medium-high heat, then take out of skillet and place into bowl for later.

3. Make sure your shrimp is as dry as possible by patting it dry with a paper towel before adding it to your skillet.* Add another 2 tablespoons of butter to your skillet and add your shrimp and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat for a few minutes and stir around to make sure both sides are cooked evenly. You’ll know they’re done when they turn orange and form little c’s.

*I find that whenever I use previously frozen shrimp that no matter how well I pat them dry, I still end up having to drain off excess liquid during the cooking process. It’s ok if you have to do that, just remember to re-season them later if necessary.

4. Place your shrimp into the bowl with your mushrooms and place your whole stick of butter into the skillet now with heat reduced to medium. The butter will start to melt quickly, and once it does, you will add your pint of heavy cream to the skillet. Allow it to simmer on this elevated heat for about two minutes, then turn the heat down on low. Also, I hope you have as cute as a kitchen helper as I do during this step. 🙂

5. With the heat on low on your heavy cream and butter, now you’ll add your 2 cups of cheese. Allow it to melt into the sauce for a few minutes, then season it liberally with salt and pepper. This step is important, or else your pasta sauce will be bland.

6. Now add your bowl of mushrooms and shrimp back into your sauce, and add your fettuccini to combine it all into one big pot.

7. Enjoy 🙂