Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Spring cleaning at the Beaumont house, which in our case means I spend Saturday fixing everything Danielle has put on the list that's been growing since January. The list this year: replace the kitchen faucet (it drips), fix the gate latch (it doesn't latch), patch the hole in the drywall behind Rémy's door (he opened it too hard — repeatedly, because Rémy does nothing gently), and recaulk the bathtub. I did all four by 3 PM and felt the particular satisfaction of a man who has conquered a honey-do list, which is the married-man equivalent of summiting Everest, except with more caulk.

Luc is playing baseball again — spring season, travel team. He's moved from first base to pitcher, which is a development that terrifies me because pitching is pressure, and Luc is twelve, and twelve-year-olds should not have pressure. But he wanted it. He said, "I want to be the one who throws the ball, not the one who catches it." And I thought: that's confidence. That's a choice. That's a boy becoming a man, one pitch at a time. His fastball is surprisingly fast. His control is surprisingly good. His father is surprisingly anxious in the bleachers, but I hide it behind sunglasses and a casual lean that I've been practicing.

Made a shrimp and tasso pasta — one of my favorites, a Cajun riff on carbonara. Tasso is a Cajun smoked pork that's spicy, salty, and intensely flavored — you don't need much. Dice it small, render it in a pan, add the shrimp, add cream, toss with pasta. The tasso does the heavy lifting. It's the andouille's wilder cousin, the one who shows up at the party and immediately makes everything more interesting. Served with French bread and a green salad because Danielle said, "We need vegetables, Tommy," and she was right, and a green salad is vegetables, technically.

By the time I put the caulk gun away and washed my hands for the last time, I wasn’t interested in anything complicated — I just wanted something that rewarded the work. Shrimp pasta has that quality: it’s fast enough that you don’t resent making it, and good enough that everyone at the table notices. Danielle got her green salad, Luc ate two bowls before practice, and I got the thing a man needs at the end of a long productive Saturday — a dinner that felt like it matched the day.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz linguine or spaghetti
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water before draining, then drain and set aside.
Season the shrimp. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Sauté the shrimp. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1–2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add pesto to the skillet and stir in reserved pasta water a little at a time until a loose, saucy consistency forms.
Combine. Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat evenly with the pesto sauce. Return shrimp to the pan and toss again. Squeeze lemon juice over the top and stir to combine.
Serve. Divide into bowls, top with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Shrimp Pesto Pasta — The Honey-Do List Deserves a Real Reward