Shrimp Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti is cooked in shrimp broth before it's combined with a bold and spicy tomato sauce featuring bell pepper, parsley, chile pepper, and large tender shrimp.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 486 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 fresh red chile pepper, finely chopped
• 20 large shrimp, deveined with shell and head left on
• 4 tomatoes, or more to taste
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 4 large cloves garlic, sliced, or more to taste
• 0.5 cup water
• 0.25 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1.625 pounds spaghetti

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Peel shrimp and place skin, heads, and tails into a large saucepan. Fill pan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, about 45 minutes.

Step 2

Combine tomatoes and 1/2 the parsley in a blender; puree until smooth.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a separate pan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and chile pepper; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 4

Pour pureed tomato mixture into the pan with the peppers. Add water, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir well; add paprika. Let sauce simmer on low to medium heat until juices have reduced.

Step 5

Strain shrimp shells from the water. Bring water back to a boil and add spaghetti. Cook spaghetti, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the rest.

Step 6

In the meantime, add shrimp to the tomato sauce. Add the reserved water, stir well, and cook until shrimp is pink, about 3 minutes. Plate spaghetti and spoon the sauce on top; garnish with the remaining parsley.