Penne a la Betsy

This recipe has been popular on the cooking board I frequent lately, although I remember seeing it for the first time on Annie’s Eats. This recipe is from the popular blog The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I really like this blog because she takes pictures of the meals as she is cooking it. I loved reading her story about cooking with her younger sister Betsy- obviously this is where the dish gets its name!

David and I both loved this. I really like tomato-cream sauces, and I found that this one had a pretty good proportion of tomato and cream. It wasn’t too heavy like some cream sauces tend to be. And as always, I loved the shrimp. I can never get enough shrimp Another great thing about this recipe is that is takes very little time to make. It’s a great recipe for those times when you want a great homemade dinner but don’t have a lot of time. I will definitely be making this again.

Penne a la Betsy

Ingredients:
¾ pound penne pasta
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound large shrimp
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
1 (8-ounce) can plain tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
basil leaves, to taste

Directions:
Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, while water heats and pasta cooks, make the sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes, until opaque. Remove to a plate to let cool. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally. While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the shrimp into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the wine (or chicken broth) to the pan and allow to reduce for a few minutes. Chiffonade the basil leaves and set aside. Stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Add shrimp back to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley and basil and mix well.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the sauce to the pot and stir well to combine. Serve.

Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks