Shrimp pasta

    The boys requested pasta for dinner tonight, so even though I've been trying to avoid Carbs for my diet, I have to fulfill their request.  In my opinion, pasta or spaghetti is the easiest thing to cook. If you need a quick, simple yet delicious meal in a constraint time frame, this is the dish to aim for. 
    I always keep a jar or two of the marinara sauce in my pantry just in case when there is a craving for a spaghetti night like this. And when I have more time, I'd like to simmer down the sauce from scratch myself. Either way, they turn out very satisfying and yummy!
   This semi-homemade dish is simple enough for the kid's palate but also flavorful for the adult's taste buds.  Dress it up with some pearl onions, basil leaves, Parmesan cheese and voila.... you have a gourmet dish of pasta. And of course when served with a couple pieces of cheese toast, it completes a perfect meal. Let's see if anyone agree with me!

    

Ingredients:
For pasta:
1. 1 packet of spaghetti or linguine pasta
2. 1/2 a jar of marinara sauce (any good brand) 
3. A couple tbsp of pesto sauce (optional)
3. 1 tomato (pureed), 1 onion (finely chopped) , 4-5 cloves of garlic  (finely minced)
4. Pearl onion (a handful)
5. Any types of mushroom
6. 1 pound of shrimp (peeled)
7. Parmesan cheese
8. Basil (chopped)
9. Fish sauce or garlic salt, 2 tsp sugar, garlic powder, freshly cracked pepper
10. Butter and olive oil

Boil the pasta according to the manufacture directions. 
In a small sauce pan, add some olive oil, butter, minced garlic and onion. Saute the onion and garlic until fragrant then add in the pureed tomato, pesto sauce and half a jar of the marinara sauce. Season with 2 tsp of fish sauce, sugar, garlic powder, simmer for about 10 min and set aside.
In a separate pan, add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tsp oil. Add in some minced garlic, pearl onions, and mushroom. Saute for a 1 minute or 2 then add in shrimp, season with garlic salt and pepper. 
Once the shrimps are pink, add in the cooked spaghetti and mix thoroughly.  Pour in some of the pasta sauce and cook for another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desire. Transfer pasta onto a plate, garnish with some chopped basil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serve with the golden toasted cheese bread.


For cheese breads:
1. 6-8 slices French baguette 
2. Butter
3. Pesto sauce (I got a jar from Costco)
4. Parmesan chees

 Spread each baguette slice with butter, then top it off with 1/2 tsp of pesto sauce on each slice. Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and toast them up in the toaster oven for about 5 min at 300F until golden brown.