Pasta with Shrimp and Garlic Wine Cream Sauce

If you cook the sauce while the pasta is on the stove, you can be done with the entire meal in under 30 minutes. It's so simple and has a short list of ingredients, but tastes like restaurant quality.

1 lb fettuccini or other long pasta
1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 ct)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
⅓ cup white wine, such as Chardonnay
2 cups whipping cream
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly cracked
¼ tsp. ground paprika

Garnish:
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

Add ¾ lb pasta to a pot of boiling water with 1 Tbsp. salt and cook according to package instructions until al-dente. Drain without rinsing and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, prepare the shrimp and sauce. Season shrimp with ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper and ¼ tsp. paprika. Place a large, non-stick pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp. oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 2 minutes per side or just until cooked through and no longer translucent. Remove to a separate dish to prevent overcooking.

In the same hot pan, add 2 Tbsp. butter with finely chopped onion and sauté until soft and golden (3-5 minutes), stirring often. Add minced garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant. Stir in 1/3 cup white wine and boil down until there is only 25% of the liquid left.

Stir in 2 cups cream, bring to a light boil then simmer 2 minutes. Sprinkle sauce with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and stir just until creamy and smooth. Let it come just to a simmer without boiling then turn off the heat and season sauce with more salt, pepper and paprika to taste.

Stir in the drained pasta and cooked shrimp, tossing until noodles are well coated in sauce. Serve in warm pasta bowls with a generous sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, more parmesan cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook's Notes: Do not boil the sauce once the cheese is in, or the cheese will separate from the cream.