Creamy Shrimp Alfredo

I love a good pasta dish.  Usually they are quick to make and you can add whatever you have on hand to make them your own dish.  That is exactly what I did with this dish that my Tennessee friend told me about.  Her family loved it so I knew that we would , too.  I was right.  It was a big hit.  I am not a lover of alfredo sauce.  It’s just too heavy for me.  I’m more the fresh tomato sauce person or pesto sauce.   I liked the dish the first night I served it, but  what I did with the leftovers the next night I loved!


If you’re not a shrimp lover I would just use grilled chicken breasts and why not throw in some spinach.  What a great combination that would be!   I made my own Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, but you could buy it if you wanted to save a little extra time.   So here’s another quick and easy dish that is perfect now that school has started.
Creamy Shrimp Alfredo from Kraft
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. linguine, uncooked
• 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
• 1/2 – 1 lb. deveined peeled medium shrimp
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz. (3/4 of 8 oz. pkg. Cream cheese cubed)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese plus some for serving
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Heat dressing in a  large skillet on medium heat.
3. Add shrimp, cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.  Add garlic for the last minute.
4. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. Add cream cheese and broth to the remaining liquid in the skillet.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until cheese is completed melted.  Stirring frequently.
6. Stir in shrimp and Parmesan Cheese.
7. Drain pasta and add to the skillet.  Toss to coat.
8. Top with Parmesan Cheese and parsley.

*Note We had leftovers and what I did with them I loved more than the original recipe.  In a large skillet I heated a little olive oil and dropped in about a cup of heirloom baby cherry tomatoes and heated until they were ready to pop.  I then added the leftover pasta and shrimp with a little water to thin it out stirring as it heated.  When it was good and hot I threw in some fresh arugula and cooked just until wilted.  Goodness, it was delicious!  All together  this made 5 good-sized servings and I just used 1/2 lb. shrimp