Throwing together a pasta dish is regular occurrence in my kitchen. Sometimes I’ll stick with something I’ve made more times than I care to remember, such as bolognese, and other times, I’ll invent something, usually with whatever happens to be lurking in the fridge and cupboard. This prawn pasta is an example of the latter.
For a prawn pasta, a fancy Italian restaurant may well use a delicious catch of the day, but for this one, I used a great food cheat – the pre-cooked packet of prawns from the supermarket. It’s an affordable alternative to fresh prawns and there’s no preparation involved, so it’s perfect for those who are broke, busy or both.
The ingredients for this prawn pasta are simple but each one works hard. The lemon juice, rosemary, oregano and asparagus all pack big flavour punches, while the creme fraiche and feta makes a delicious sauce texture with minimal fuss. It’s sort-of Greece-meets-Italy on a lazy weekday night.
I tend to use low-fat creme fraiche, not just because I make vague attempts not to eat too much fat, but also because it’s one of the rare low-fat ingredients that doesn’t feel like a watery, lame alternative to the full-fat version. But if you want to use full-fat creme fraiche or indeed actual cream, that’s up to you. I’m not going to sit here in judgement of your prawn pasta.
Easy prawn pasta with creamy feta sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g asparagus spears, cut into 3cm lengths
150g cooked king prawns
Juice of a lemon or 3 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice
Rosemary, salt, pepper and oregano to taste
3/4 cup/185ml stock (any flavour is fine)
Creme fraiche – quantity depends on desired thickness
100g feta, diced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan and sautee the onions and garlic until the onions are soft.
- Add the asparagus and prawns and cook for a further couple of minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and stir.
- Add the herbs and spices to taste, stir through.
- Pour in the stock, stir well and bring to the boil.
- Turn the heat down and stir through the creme fraiche. The quantity depends on how thick you like the sauce. I tend to dollop in a couple of seriously heaped tablespoons.
- Toss the diced feta into the pot, stir through gently so it doesn’t completely melt into the sauce and remove from the heat.
- Serve with pasta. If you use a fresh lemon, use a little lemon zest to garnish.