A ‘Buttery Girl Dinner’ featuring shrimp that’s ready in 30 minutes

We’ve all heard about the popular “girl dinner” trend, where people across the country are sharing their plates of salty and sweet snack foods for dinner. To be frank, it’s my dream to come home from a long day of work and an even longer commute and gorge myself with bread, cheese and anything else I find in the kitchen.

While grown-up Lunchables will never not be appealing, sometimes I need something a little heartier. A little spicier. And a lot more buttery.

Today, I want to share with you my version of girl dinner. It’s my go-to dish when I’m exhausted, have no plans and when I want to enjoy a warm bowl of goodness while watching my reality TV show of choice.

Beware: My girl dinner has a lot of butter, it has carbs, it’s garlicky, and it’s best enjoyed in sweatpants.

You also have some freedom with your protein -- I use shrimp because it’s lighter and pairs well with garlic and butter, but you could use chicken or forgo protein altogether and just have a heaping bowl of pasta. There’s never anything wrong with that.

This is done in 30 minutes, is cheap and requires minimal counter space and cleanup. Let’s get started with my favorite girl dinner ever.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Yield: Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 box of pasta (I like to use rigatoni or farfalle, but any shape will work)

½ stick of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, grated

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (I like this spicy, but feel free to up or decrease the amount of red pepper flakes)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions, until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, put your olive oil in a Dutch oven and saute shrimp until done over medium heat, about 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat. Once the pasta is al dente, drain and put the pasta into the dutch oven with the shrimp. Add the butter, grated garlic and red pepper flakes. Serve yourself a hearty bowl and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if you’d like. Best enjoyed hot.

This story was originally published November 13, 2023 at 11:29 AM.