Last weekend, I saw an episode of Giada at Home, but she was making her Lemon Spaghetti with Jumbo Shrimp that is apparently  *hugely* popular at her Vegas restaurant.

I’ve never had the version that she serves in Vegas so I can’t tell you what the full-fat, full-cheese version of this tastes like (I’m sure divine)– but I’ve been on a lemon-kick lately…and her recipe looked SO good that I just had to make it.

Little problem…. there was A LOT of spaghetti, a lot of oil and a lot of cheese… and well, I know that it’s got to be great, but on a weeknight, I just can’t do all of that. So I set out to make my own lemony version for two — inspired by her recipe. I tested it a couple of ways and am really happy with how it turned out — very bright and lemony, with arugula adding a peppery bite!!

Lemon Pasta with Shrimp and Arugula (modified from Giada De Laurentiis’s Lemon Spaghetti with Jumbo Shrimp)

Serves 2 (generously)

Ingredients:
18 jumbo shrimp — I used frozen pre-cooked shrimp (thawed prior to use)
3 oz of dry lentil/quinoa pasta
1 Lemon (the zest and juice) — Zest first and then juice
1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp of grated Parmesan/Romano
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 generous handfuls of arugula
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Zest lemon into a large bowl and juice that lemon into the same bowl. Add 1 tbsp of oil and 2 Tbsp of cheese. Whisk together. Set aside.

Rinse thawed shrimp and blot dry with paper towels. Spray a pan with olive oil or other mild oil spray. Place shrimp in single layer and season with salt & pepper. Let shrimp warm through, flip as necessary

While shrimp heat through, bring water to boil, season with salt and cook pasta to al dente. Reserve approximate a half cup of the pasta water before draining.

Place hot pasta and shrimp in bowl with lemon mixture toss to coat. If needed, add a bit of reserved pasta liquid to loosen sauce. Add chopped basil and arugula toss to coat and allow greens to wilt.

Serve. Add additional basil or Parmesan for garnish if desired.