Ingredients
12ozlinguine pasta,dry weight
½cupreserved pasta water
2tbspolive oil,divided
4garlic cloves,minced, divided
1yellow onion,chopped
8ozbrown mushrooms,sliced
1lbfresh shrimp,prawns, without shells, washed and deveined
½tspred pepper flakes,crushed, adjust to suit tastes
1tspmild paprika,or smokey
salt,to season
8ozcream cheese,at room temperature, low-fat or fat-free are fine to use
2cupsmilk
½cupParmesan cheese,grated
½cuplight mozzarella cheese,shredded
salt,to season, if desired
2tbspparsley,fresh chopped, to garnish
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package instructions in a pot of salted boiling water; drain and rinse, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Set it aside for later.
While pasta is boiling, heat a large frying pan/skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and fry half of the garlic for about 30 seconds; add the onions, and continue sautéing until soft.
Add the mushrooms and fry while occasionally stirring, until the mushrooms have browned. Stir through 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and cook them for 1 more minute.
Transfer mushrooms to a plate and set it aside (keep any liquid leftover in the pan).
To the same pan, add the remaining oil. Saute remaining garlic until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook until they just begin to change colour. Add the pepper flakes, paprika and salt.
Cook while occasionally stirring for a further 1 to 2 minutes to combine all the flavours in the pan, Add the mushrooms to the pan, stirring them through the flavours in the pan.
Transfer the shrimp/mushroom mixture to the same plate the mushrooms were on.
Add the cream cheese and milk to the same pan and bring to a gentle simmer while stirring occasionally, while breaking up the cream cheese.
Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the cheeses. Once the cheeses have melted through, taste test and season with a little salt.
Add the shrimp/mushroom mix along with the pasta into the creamy sauce, stirring everything through for a further 2 minutes on low heat. Add the reserved pasta water – ¼ cup at a time – only if needed or until reaching desired consistency.
Garnish with parsley and serve!
