Shrimp in Light Lemon Cream Sauce with Fresh Asparagus
It is late spring in Michigan. It’s beautiful outside, finally! The wild mushrooms are sprouting up like crazy, and so is our asparagus. I’ve given some to my parents, roasted some late last week for dinner, grilled a big batch over the weekend when two of the kids were here from Grand Rapids, and I still had a fresh (small) batch to pick yesterday. So I made one of hubby’s favorites – shrimp. And he got a double dose of favorite since he LOVES asparagus.
See that picture? That is creamy, rich, tangy deliciousness. BONUS? – No cream added.
Did you know fat free cream cheese makes an awesome base for a cream sauce? Yup, I said fat free. YAY!
Creamy, with the tang of fresh lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Happy taste buds! Aaaand it’s pretty easy.
We grow some herbs fresh, and we have our asparagus patch which looks like someone needs to weed it. Here is the rosemary and thyme, just after picking.
Fresh herbs – rosemary and thyme
I started this with already peeled and deveined shrimp – frozen. Yup, that’s Michigan.
I roasted the tomatoes and asparagus for about 10-15 minutes, but you could saute them just as easily. Saute the shrimp.
Shrimp saute
And start tossing it together. I listed the prep time to be 30 minutes, but that could vary depending on if you are using already cleaned shrimp.
- 1 pound peeled deveined shrimp
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh Thyme
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh Rosemary
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ¾ - 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup asparagus pieces, about 1 – 1 ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup sliced or quartered mushrooms
- ⅓ cup fat free cream cheese
- 8 ounces linguine pasta, cooked al dente (reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water, for sauce)
- ¼ cup white wine or pasta water
- 2 – 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Spicy Creole seasoning
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions, to al dente stage. Remember to save about 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Throw the asparagus, tomatoes and mushrooms on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400° F oven for about 10 – 15 minutes, until asparagus is JUST fork tender (I prefer it to still have a slight crunch). Remove from oven and set aside. If you prefer, just saute them in about 1 Tablespoon of oil until done.
- In a 10-12 inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add shrimp and dust with just a light sprinkle of creole seasoning. Sear quickly, turning after only a minute or so, cooking quickly until shrimp are just done. Splash a little white wine (or pasta water) into the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to low. Add the cream cheese and stir to melt, adding a little pasta water as you go to keep it liquid. Add the lemon juice, rosemary, thyme, cilantro and lemon. Keep stirring until cream cheese is completely melted and the herbs and lemon juice are mixed in. Add the roasted vegetables and stir in. Keep adding a splash of pasta water as necessary to keep the sauce from becoming too thick. Add more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper according to your taste preference.