Sunday Forward — Italian American · Week 4
Pesto Shrimp & Spinach Pasta
Colin’s poached shrimp · Lorianne’s almond pesto · Rummo linguine · spinach-arugula
Two-Cook Dish
30 Minutes
Fresh
Date Night
Weeknight
2
Servings
20 min
Active
30 min
Total
Easy
Difficulty
Colin’s Poached Shrimp
Star
Shrimp, deveined
21/25 count — large enough to hold up in the pasta without disappearing. Deveined; shells on or off for poaching, peel after.
1 lb
Bright
Lemons, halved
Squeeze into the poaching water, then drop the spent halves in too — they keep contributing flavor as the water heats
2–3
Herb
Bay Leaves
Into the poaching water
2–3
Aromatics
Garlic Cloves, smashed
Into the poaching water
2–3
Spice
Black Peppercorns
Into the poaching water
1–2 tsp
Season
Salt
Enough to make the water taste like the ocean — this is not a small amount. Taste it.
generously
The Pasta
Pasta
Rummo Linguine
2 servings, cooked per package instructions in well-salted water (½ tbsp kosher salt). Cook to al dente — it will soften slightly more when tossed with the warm pesto.
2 servings
Water
Kosher Salt — for pasta water
About ½ tbsp into a full rolling boil before adding the pasta
½ tbsp
Greens
Spinach & Arugula Mix (or Just Spinach), pre-washed
One 5 oz package — the 365 arugula-spinach blend from Whole Foods is the one Colin uses; we like the pepperiness the arugula brings. Plain spinach works perfectly fine on its own. It wilts way down. Sauté in a skillet just until it collapses, then add to the bowl immediately before it goes too far.
5 oz (1 package)
Sauce
Lorianne’s Almond Pesto
Half the batch from the pesto card — 1 cup. If coming from the fridge, set it out an hour ahead and use a few tablespoons of hot pasta water to loosen it just before tossing.
1 cup
Key
Reserved Pasta Water
Save a few tablespoons before draining — don’t forget this. It loosens the pesto and warms it through without cooking the basil.
a few Tbsp
Finish
Lemon, for finishing
A big squeeze over the top just before serving brightens the whole dish — or cut a few thin slices and let everyone add their own at the table.
1
Method
0 of 5 steps complete — click a step to check it off
1Poach
Build the Poaching Liquid
Add 6–8 quarts of water to a large pot. Salt it generously — enough that it tastes like the ocean. Squeeze the lemons in, then drop the spent halves into the pot. Add the smashed garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring to a full boil.
✓
2Shrimp
Poach the Shrimp Off the Heat
Add the shrimp to the boiling water, immediately turn off the heat, and cover the pot. Let the shrimp poach in the residual heat for 3 minutes — perfect for 21/25 count. They’re done when pink and just opaque. Remove to a tray and peel.
✓
3Pasta
Cook the Pasta — Save the Water
Bring a separate pot of water to a full rolling boil and add ½ tbsp kosher salt. Add the Rummo linguine and cook per package instructions to al dente. Before draining, scoop out a few tablespoons of pasta water and set aside — this is essential for loosening the pesto. Drain the pasta.
✓
4Greens
Sauté the Spinach (and Arugula, if Using) Until Just Wilted
In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the full 5 oz package of greens — the arugula is optional, so leave it out if you’d rather keep things milder. It will collapse dramatically in about 90 seconds. Pull it off the heat while it still has some body — it will continue to wilt in the bowl and you don’t want mush.
✓
5Toss
Bring It All Together
Add the pesto to a large serving bowl. Stir in a few tablespoons of hot pasta water to loosen it and warm it through. Add the drained linguine and toss to coat. Add the just-wilted greens and peeled shrimp. Toss gently to combine. Finish with a big squeeze of fresh lemon over the top, or fan a few thin lemon slices alongside so everyone can add their own at the table. Serve immediately.
✓
Don’t Forget the Pasta Water
This is the step most people skip and then wonder why the pesto is clumpy and cold. Scoop out the pasta water before you drain — once it’s down the drain it’s gone. A few tablespoons stirred into the pesto warms it through and loosens it perfectly without cooking the basil.
Colin’s Off-Heat Poach
Turning off the heat once the shrimp go in is not a mistake — it’s the technique. Boiling shrimp turns them rubbery fast. The residual heat of 6–8 quarts of near-boiling water is exactly enough to cook 21/25 shrimp gently in 3 minutes. Watch the clock.
Split the Work, Halve the Time
This one comes together fastest as a two-person job: one cook handles the shrimp poach and peel while the other sautés the greens and gets the pasta going. Divide and conquer and it’s dinner in a fraction of the time.
Pull the Greens Early
The spinach-arugula mix wilts faster than you expect and keeps wilting after it leaves the heat. Add it to the bowl while it still has some body. By the time you’ve tossed everything together it will be perfectly soft without turning to mush.
The finished plate
Colin’s recipe card