Prawn Arrabiata Pasta in less than 10 minutes!

I have a love / hate relationship with sea food. I enjoy really well prepared sea food but I hate the fact that no matter how often I try I never seem to be able to prepare it as well as I would like, myself. I guess that’s not really the right way to introduce my new sea food recipes is it…? Well, that said, the recipes I do love and use are therefore almost fool proof, very easy and super delicious.

You really can’t get easier than this prawn arrabiata pasta. It’s a dish a friend of mine has been making for years and with two small kids, a full time job and a love for entertaining this dish has proved itself over and over again. We, her guests, love it!

I have made this a few times when I had last minutes guests coming and was working late. The sauce is finished before the pasta has finished boiling - it’s that quick and it’s a total winner.

You needn’t use arrabiata sauce (especially if you have kids eating – it has chilli in it), you can use a plain Neapolitan sauce or whatever your favourite ready-made tomato pasta sauce is. I used an Ina Paarman Tomato, green olive and chilli pasta sauce as it looked yummy and I wanted to try it. It was great, highly recommended!

Prawn and tomato pasta

Serves 4

400 – 500g Tagliatelle or Linguine, prepared according to packet instructions.

800g of read made tomato pasta sauce (freshly made sachets or bottled)

500g Prawn tail meat, shelled (frozen or defrosted)

100g parmesan, freshly grated

Fresh chilli chopped (optional)

Start your pasta cooking. In a pan on medium high heat warm you pasta sauce, add you prawn meat and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Set aside until ready for use.

Drain your pasta, toss with a little olive oil. Serve onto a platter or into pasta bowls, top with the sauce and lots of freshly grated parmesan and fresh chillis.

Tip

It astounds me how many people struggle to get their pasta not to stick together when cooking it. Once the water is simmering, hold the pasta in a bunch and place it down to the center of the pot, allow it to fan out as shown in the picture below. After a few minutes gently push the tips of the pasta down until the pasts has submerged. Place the lid on the pot and in a few minutes stir the pasta around the water a little ensuring that the hot water has coated all the strands. Cook and drain. Toss with a little oil to ensure that no further sticking occurs.