Make a big batch of sun-dried tomato pesto. Put in on sandwiches and scrambled eggs throughout the week. Reserve some and make sun-dried tomato pesto shrimp pasta for a quick under 20 minute dinner.

Remember that big batch of sun-dried tomato pesto from that meal prep we did on Sunday? Ya know, when you made that big baguette breakfast sandwich? Well! I have another use for the pesto.

Even if you didn’t do any meal prep, don’t feel bad. You still end up with a delicious and easy dinner. 

Meal prep is hard. I don’t blame you if you aren’t on that bandwagon yet. I wish I was as good of a planner and prepper as Tracy from Shutterbean. I do as much as I can though.

What hurt my game plan this week was the beer and bourbon fest I went to on Saturday night.

I did it to myself. It wasn’t even like I drank a lot; it was the fact that I was up past midnight. I am five years removed from my twenties (isn’t that a way better sounding way to say mid-thirties?). I don’t know who I thought I was.

Sunday Stefanie had no shame in letting a movie parent her kids and letting other places handle the food. I was checked out.

I hate when I don’t have a productive Sunday. It sort of sends me scrambling into the week ahead. Case in point. I tried to order groceries for the week ahead. I naturally forgot some things. Then when I went to select a time for delivery, I chose 8-9am. I swear. Even though my head was foggy from all the residual beer and bourbon, I swear I clicked that time!

The next morning, I wake up at 7am after going to bed at 9:30pm. I feel like a brand new person. I got my things together to go take a shower before the kids are awake and asking for all the things.

I checked my phone real quick and saw an alert that a shopper is shopping my order for delivery between 7-8am!

WHAT????

I have never showered so fast in my life. After that my whole day was off. I finally got my life together around dinner. I put my thinking cap on and defrosted some shrimp, cooked up some noodles, and tossed it all together with some sun-dried tomato pesto. Ta-da! Easy dinner of sun-dried tomato pesto shrimp pasta in under 20 minutes!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Shrimp Pasta

Yield: Serves 2-4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Dairy-free sun-dried tomato pesto tossed together with garlic shrimp and pasta for a quick and easy dinner.

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Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomato pesto (see below for recipe link)
• 10oz spaghetti noodles
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 pound de-veined shrimp

Instructions

1. Prepare the pest according to these instructions.
2. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to the packages instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water off to the side for later.
3. Heat the oil along with the garlic and red pepper flakes in a medium skillet over medium heat. add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes per side until opaque.
4. Drain the noodles when they are done cooking.
5. Add the pesto and about a 1/2 cup of pasta water in with the shrimp. Reduce the heat to low. Mix the water and pesto together until it is no longer clumpy. Add noodles and toss to combine.
6. Remove from heat and then serve.