Christmas Colors Pasta

Admit it. Turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, etc. are great for awhile, but a day or two after the big holiday meal passes, there is such a thing as too many leftovers. I usually get through a late night snack, lunch the next day, and maybe a dinner before looking for something a little different. Inspired by Megan’s spaghetti and meatball post and an insatiable need for carbs after my 13 mile run, I whipped up a simple but completely delicious pasta dish last night. This would be perfect for those of you tired of cooking-and eating- Christmas delights.

I started with a freezer staple, medium shrimp, shelled and deveined. I took them out in the morning so that by dinner they were thawed.

While I prepped my veggies and shrimp, I boiled up a kettle of water and started some whole wheat angel hair. This was the Stop & Shop brand, and in addition to some good nutritionals, you can’t even tell its whole wheat.

The star veggies of the evening were a green and red bell pepper and five large cloves of garlic. Clearly, the vampires will not be visiting me this week!

I added the peppers to the hot pan first, in addition to a knob of Kerrygold and a glug of olive oil. After just a minute, I added in the shrimp and then the garlic. I fear burnt garlic.

Once I had everything a-sizzling, I poured in about a cup of Bonny Doon Vineyard Verjus, let it all simmer, and used tongs to add the cooked pasta to the sauce.

I had a heaping bowl of the pasta and sauce topped with the obligatory crushed red pepper flakes. For a meal that took about 20 minutes start to finish, I thought this was pretty tasty, with lots of flavor, crunch from the peppers, and soft, comforting pasta. It satisfied this runner’s need for pasta and made me feel like I can do another run this week. Before that I literally felt empty despite eating a ton of other stuff. Does that ever happen to you, or is it just me?

What do you and your loved ones eat for the December holiday meals? Is your Hanukah/ Christmas/Kwanzaa/New Year’s meal similar to Thanksgiving like ours is? Or do you have entirely different food? It’s fun to hear what people eat, especially from different regions and ethnic backgrounds!