Pesto Pasta with Grilled Shrimp Stack!

Pesto Pasta with Grilled Shrimp Stack

Ingredients (serves 2–3)

Pasta & Pesto

• 250 g linguine or fettuccine

• 1½ cups fresh basil pesto (homemade or high-quality store-bought)

• ¼ cup pasta water (reserved)

• Freshly grated Parmesan

Shrimp

• 400 g large shrimp, peeled & deveined

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Zest of ½ lemon

• Salt & black pepper

• Chili flakes (optional)

Finishing touches

• Cherry tomatoes (halved) or blistered tomatoes

• Pine nuts or toasted breadcrumbs

• Extra basil leaves

• Lemon wedges

How to make it

1. Grill the shrimp
   Toss shrimp with olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
   Grill on high heat (or grill pan) ~2 minutes per side until just opaque. Set aside.

2. Cook the pasta
   Boil in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then drain.

3. Sauce it up
   Toss hot pasta with pesto, adding pasta water a little at a time until glossy and silky. Finish with Parmesan.

4. Build the stack (the fun part)

   • Use tongs to twirl pasta into a tight nest in the center of the plate

   • Stack or fan grilled shrimp on top

   • Add tomatoes, pine nuts, basil

   • Finish with lemon squeeze + olive oil drizzle