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Recently I wrote about why I'm so passionate about Intuitive Eating. One of the things that I appreciate the most about Intuitive Eating is that it enables so many people - including me -to truly feel satisfied and content from meals. In that particular post, I mentioned that Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, CEDRD, FADA, who wrote the book, Intuitive Eating, created the 10 core principles of Intuitive Eating.
One of the 10 core principles is, "Discover the Satisfaction Factor." On the official Intuitive Eating website this particular principle is described with the following passage: "The Japanese have the wisdom to promote pleasure as one of their goals of healthy living. In our fury to be thin and healthy, we often overlook one of the most basic gifts of existence – the pleasure and satisfaction that can be found in the eating experience. When you eat what you really want, in an environment that is inviting and conducive, the pleasure you derive will be a powerful force in helping you feel satisfied and content. By providing this experience for yourself, you will find that it takes much less food to decide you’ve had enough."
One way that I perceive, "Discover the Satisfaction Factor," is that you're essentially thinking about how you can design an environment and meals that will be as enjoyable and as satisfying as possible. And the reality is that some days this is easier than others. And that's alright! Each eating experience does NOT need to be perfect. You are going to eat so many more times in life! Part of feeling satisfied also entails honoring your hunger. When you are hungry, your body is telling you that it needs to be fed. And perhaps you've noticed that you enjoy a wonderful meal even more when you’re moderately hungry versus ravenously hungry - or already full?
It's worth noting that all of the Intuitive Eating principles support a person's ability to enjoy a meal to the fullest. So where does this pasta dish fit into this discussion? Well one way that I want to assist you on your Intuitive Eating journey - as a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor - is through providing you with a variety of delicious recipes. My hope is that when you really want to eat a tomatoey shrimp pasta dish - along with other types of meals - that some of these recipes will make your taste buds smile. In other words, I want to support you as you work towards experiencing as much pleasure as possible from eating food.
And speaking of pleasure, for many people in the world, pasta is one of their most favorite foods. It's so versatile, easy to cook, and great for stretching the dollar. And when it's topped with a delicious sauce - it ROCKS. This shrimp fettuccine with tomato sauce is no exception. My husband, Colin, said that he'd be happy to eat this meal in a restaurant. This was a big statement coming from a tell-it-like-it-is-taste-tester who typically doesn't like to eat shrimp - on top of pasta (Quirky, I know).
For this dish, a smooth tomato sauce that's heavily seasoned with garlic, some onion, red pepper flakes, and a touch of dry white wine is fabulous. While I've included my homemade tomato wine sauce recipe, if you prefer to save time by using a canned sauce that you can tweak, Kroger's Simple Truth Organic Tomato Sauce works well for this dish in terms of texture and flavor (This is not a sponsored post. I just happened to have their sauce in my pantry one day when I didn't have any homemade sauce left - and it worked well because it was not heavily seasoned with spices). Or feel free to use your favorite sauce for this dish and adjust the seasonings to your taste!
I won't call my homemade sauce, "Fra Diavolo,"- which is Italian for "Brother Devil." Meaning that it's a pretty spicy sauce. Instead, my tomato wine sauce offers just a hint of heat - and just enough for our family to keep it interesting. You can always add more red pepper flakes if you desire a spicier dish! It's better to add more spice - a little at a time (My homemade sauce serves as a base sauce that you can tweak to your liking with herbs like oregano, basil, etc. for this recipe or others in the future).
When I prepare shrimp scampi, I like to season and cook the shrimp ahead of time to give it extra flavor. But for this tomato sauce recipe, I'm perfectly happy simply tossing the shrimp into the sauce and simmering it with the lid on for a few minutes until they're cooked through (But feel free to season and cook the shrimp ahead of time if you wish). Since Colin is not big on fresh basil or oregano, parsley is my favorite fresh herb for this dish. And if you're a cheese lover like me, garnish this lovely meal with some yummy Parmesan cheese!
Yield for pasta dish: 5-6 servings (Allow yourself to listen to your hunger/fullness cues)
Ingredients for my homemade sauce:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups white onion, diced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced (Around 9 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon dry red pepper flakes (Adjust to taste)
2 28-ounce cans whole peeled plum tomatoes with juices, chopped by hand or slightly pulsed with a food processor
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (Adjust to taste)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar (Adjust to taste)
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Yield: Makes around 5 1/2 cups of sauce after cooking and pureeing it
Ingredients when making this dish with my homemade sauce ALREADY prepared:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 3/4 cups of my homemade tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of water (Tap or filtered)
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 pound raw shrimp (If frozen, thawed)
1 pound dry fettuccine (Once cooked, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water)
6 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Kosher salt (Adjust to taste)
Ground black pepper (Adjust to taste)
Grated Parmesan cheese (Garnish)
Ingredients IF making this dish with canned Kroger's Simple Truth Organic Tomato Sauce:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup white onion, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced (Around 6 cloves) (If using another canned sauce adjust the amount of garlic to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon dry red pepper flakes (Adjust to taste)
3 1/2 cups of tomato sauce (Two 15-ounce cans of Kroger's Organic Simple Truth Tomato Sauce or your favorite canned tomato sauce)
3 tablespoons dry white wine
5 tablespoons water (Tap or filtered)
1 pound raw shrimp (If frozen, thawed)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (Adjust to taste)
1 pound dried fettuccine (Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water once cooked)
6 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Ground black pepper (Adjust to taste)
Grated Parmesan cheese (Garnish)
Directions for making this dish with my homemade tomato sauce :
1. First make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a stockpot or Dutch oven using the medium-high setting. When the oil is hot, add the onion and stir frequently for 3 minutes. Next, toss in the garlic and red pepper flakes - stirring constantly for one minute. Then add the chopped tomatoes and their juices to the mixture, along with the bay leaf, water, salt, and pepper. Stir a few times. Next, bring the mixture to a boil, followed by turning the heat to low and simmering for 40 minutes so that the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat , allowing the tomato sauce to cool slightly for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Next, carefully puree the sauce - in batches - in a high-powered blender/food processor until smooth (Here's a video which provides tips on how to carefully puree hot liquids). After pureeing the sauce, save 3 3/4 cups of the sauce for this recipe, and store the remaining sauce for future use (You can freeze the extra sauce).
2. Now make the remainder of the dish. First cook the fettuccine until it's al dente (Possesses a chewy texture versus being limp) - according to the manufacturer's instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. Set the pasta and pasta water aside. Next, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep non-stick skillet using the medium-high setting. When the oil is hot, pour the 3 3/4 cups of homemade smooth tomato sauce into the pot. Add the 1 tablespoon of water (Tap or filtered), wine, and stir a few times. Next, bring the sauce to a boil. Carefully pour the raw shrimp into the mixture, stirring a few times. Place a lid on the skillet and simmer on low heat until the shrimp are cooked through (Around 3 minutes). Remove the lid from the skillet. Add a dash of black pepper and the fresh parsley - stirring a few times. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings to your preference. Turn off the heat. Then toss the hot al dente pasta into the skillet containing the sauce and shrimp. Next, add 1 tablespoon of reserved pasta water and stir the mixture a couple of times (The pasta water will help the sauce cling to the noodles. If you prefer to add more pasta water to the dish, you can always add 1 tablespoon at a time, followed by stirring the pasta and adjusting the seasonings accordingly). Taste again. Adjust the seasonings to your taste again if needed. Serve with your favorite sides, and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Directions for making this dish with canned tomato sauce:
1. First cook the fettuccine until it's al dente (Possesses a chewy texture versus being limp) - according to the manufacturer's instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. Set the pasta and pasta water aside for later.
2. Heat the olive oil in a deep nonstick skillet using the medium-high setting. When the oil is hot, add the onion and stir frequently for 3 minutes. Next, toss in the garlic and red pepper flakes - stirring constantly for one minute.
3. Add the tomato sauce, wine, and 5 tablespoons of water (Either tap or filtered) to the same skillet, and stir frequently for about one minute. Next, pour the raw shrimp and salt into the mixture, stirring a few times. Place a lid on the skillet and simmer on low heat until the shrimp are cooked through (Around 3 minutes). Remove the lid from the skillet. Add a dash of black pepper and the fresh parsley - stirring a few times. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings to your preference. Turn off the heat.
4. Toss the hot al dente pasta into the skillet containing the sauce and shrimp. Next, add 1 tablespoon of reserved pasta water and stir the mixture a couple of times (The pasta water will help the sauce cling to the noodles. If you prefer to add more pasta water to the dish, you can always add 1 tablespoon at a time, followed by stirring the pasta and adjusting the seasonings accordingly). Taste again. Adjust the seasonings to your taste again if needed. Serve with your favorite sides, and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!