One thing that I love about pasta is the flexibility of making it into whatever kind of dish you want. You can add meat, veggies, white sauce, marinara, all kinds of herbs and spices – it’s the type of dish you can really have a lot of fun with. This spicy shrimp tortellini just came to me the other day. I wanted to whip up something that was satisfying and filling but wouldn’t require a ton of ingredients or cooking time. Tortellini has always been a “go-to” pasta for me whenever I’m looking for something quick & easy but delicious.
Lately I’ve been loving a little extra heat in pasta dishes so making something more on the spicy side was really calling to me. For this recipe there’s a lot crushed red pepper, basil, oregano, and parsley; all the makings of a delicious marinara to cover the cheesy tortellini and yummy shrimp.
I love using shrimp as an ingredient to bulk up a dish. It’s easy to prepare and you can season with whatever you like. I especially love it with a spicy kick, so I thought it would be perfect to toss in this dish. For this recipe I used one pound of large white shrimp, which I peeled & rinsed, seasoned with some coarse salt and black pepper and sauteed until pink.
For the heat factor, I relied on crushed red pepper flakes. I used about 2 teaspoons of it and could feel the heat after each bite, but if you like a lot of heat you may want to use 3 teaspoons. If you like less heat, I suggest 1/2 teaspoon to make it mild. To bring flavor to the marinara I used dried basil, oregano, and parsley. Let all these flavors simmer together for about 15 minutes and you’ll have a flavorful, exquisite pasta dish.
Spicy Shrimp Tortellini
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes divided
- 1 pound large white shrimp peeled & rinsed
- coarse salt & black pepper to taste - for shrimp
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 large package three cheese tortellini 20 oz package
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over low-medium heat, once skillet is hot, add olive oil, minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Peel, de-vein, and rinse shrimp, season with salt and pepper and then add to skillet, turning them over to the opposite side after 5-7 minutes to cook evenly. Shrimp should be pink. Add in chicken broth.
- Once shrimp is cooked add in crushed tomatoes, remaining crushed red pepper flakes (plus more if you like more heat) basil, oregano, and parsley. Stir everything together and allow it to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the tortellini following package instruction. Tortellini cooks pretty quickly so it should take less than 10 minutes. Once tortellini is cooked, strain and toss pasta into the skillet with shrimp and marinara sauce. Remove skillet from heat and serve.
