Recipe Background
Shrimp Scampi Dump: A moving day meal that's quick and satisfying.
The first time I cooked the Shrimp Scampi Dump was during a moving day frenzy. Packing up my life from one cramped apartment to another, I found myself surrounded by boxes and an overexcited cat darting between them. In the chaos, I needed something quick and satisfying without fussing over too many ingredients. As I dug through the remnants of my fridge, the half-empty container of heavy cream beckoned alongside a nearly forgotten bag of shrimp in the freezer. A few pantry staples like rotini and a lemon were all I needed to make magic happen.
The beauty of using a casserole dish was its predictability. Buttering it generously with some extra cubes ensured that nothing would stick when I needed to focus elsewhere, like wrestling with that pesky wardrobe. Red pepper flakes and minced garlic made every bite sing a delightful tune, reminding me of simpler days spent at family cookouts by the ocean. A touch of zesty lemon zest whisked in transported it all to another level.
After a solid bake in the oven, a finishing touch of grated Parmesan and fresh parsley sealed the deal. Having made this dish a few times since, I will say letting it cool for five minutes before serving really allows it to reach that 'wow, that was worth every second' moment. Unpacking in my new place, I realized the warmth of a well-loved recipe could turn an ordinary moving day into a memorable milestone.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus more, to taste, for greasing the casserole dish
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 (1-pound) package frozen medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 lemon zested
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped, loosely packed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream warmed
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Using the extra butter, generously grease the bottom and the sides of a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Add the rotini pasta to the prepared casserole dish, spreading it out in an even layer.
- Scatter the shrimp over the pasta layer.
- Dot the shrimp and the pasta with the remaining 4 tablespoons of the cubed butter.
- Evenly add the broth to the casserole dish.
- Evenly sprinkle the shrimp and the pasta with the red pepper flakes, the garlic, the lemon zest, the salt, and the black pepper.
- Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake until the pasta is al dente and the shrimp reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 25 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add the parmesan and the parsley and toss to combine.
- Add the warm heavy cream to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.
- Serve topped with the parmesan-parsley mixture.
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