Tonight I took inspiration from my new membership to The Organized Cook™ Weekly Meal Plan for my dinner recipe.  The beauty of the plan is that some of the things that you cook earlier in the week are worked into recipes later in the week so that leftovers are reinvented as something new.  This “repurposing” saves a ton of time and money!

This is the first week that I’ve received the weekly meal plan, so I wasn’t quite up to speed with grocery shopping, ingredients and planning to make all of the recipes this week.  If I had been prepared, I would have had the shrimp left over from a Thai Shrimp Pizza recipe a few days earlier, but even without the shrimp already cooked this was a super quick meal and so tasty!

I am very excited about tomorrow night’s twitter party where we’ll get to talk about meal planning, getting dinner cooked and eaten with our busy schedules, and have a chance to interact with the creator of The Organized Cook™ Cookbook andweekly meal plan system – Toni Spilsbury. Please plan on joining us!  There are some great prizes up for grabs but you have to RSVP to be eligible for them.

Shrimp Pasta Recipe

I ad-libbed quite a bit from the recipe provided to me by The Organized Cook™  – so if you don’t like it – please don’t hold it against Toni!  The inspiration and fundamentals are hers, but I tweaked them a bit for my family’s palate.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs shrimp (cleaned)
• 2 boxes penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 jar of Alfredo sauce (14 oz)
• 2 cups (ish) milk
• 4 cloves of garlic (diced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red pepper (diced)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• fresh basil (chopped)
• 2 cans (14oz each) of diced tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese (fresh grated)
• 1 bunch asparagus
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta per box directions.
2. Add olive oil, garlic, onion, and pepper to saute pan and cook until onion and pepper is softened.
3. Add the canned tomatoes (do not drain) and Alfredo sauce.   Fill Alfredo jar 3/4 full with milk, shake to get remaining Alfredo sauce, and add milk to the pan.  Add shrimp.  Add salt to taste.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium for 5 to 6 minutes until shrimp are completely pink.
5. In separate pan, cook asparagus until just tender when stuck with a fork (but not too soft).  Either serve on the side, or once cooked, chop asparagus unto 1 inch lengths and add to the sauce.
6. Serve the pasta with sauce and top with a pinch of chopped fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Total cooking time (prep too) – 20 to 30 minutes.

I can’t wait to learn more of Toni’s tips at our twitter party tomorrow night! 

Will you be able to join us? 

*Disclosure: I was compensated for participating in the twitter party and provided The Organized Cook™ Weekly Meal Plan free of charge.   All words and opinions are my own.