Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo

For this round of the recipe swap, the theme is pasta recipes. I love pasta recipes so I really wanted to participate in this round. I waited until the last minute to throw my hat into the ring, but I am so glad I did because I ended up loving the recipe that I got. My recipe was submitted by The Dilettante Gourmand. She’s new to blogging but the recipes she has posted look great, so check out her site!

This recipe was perfect for me: it uses shrimp, which I love, and the recipe makes just 2 servings, which is perfect for me and my husband. It goes together very quickly and looks very impressive when it’s done. I swore that I had orzo in the cupboard, but I didn’t so I subbed some other small pasta, which worked just fine. I’m not always the biggest fan of fresh basil, as I feel it can be too strong sometimes, but I really liked it in this dish. All the flavors came together for a winning meal.

I didn’t have any premade foil bags so my husband made one for me. He’s my sous chef and does a good job! I think the foil pouch was a little too small, and the shrimp in the center didn’t get cooked at first. So if you make your own foil bag, make it big enough so that the ingredients have room. Really, this was so easy and just turned out wonderfully. My husband asked that we put it in the rotation of regular dinners, which is high praise indeed.

1/2 cup uncooked orzo or other small pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup diced tomato
3/4 cup sliced scallions or onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray the inside of a foil cooking bag with cooking spray or create a large foil pouch with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Place the bad in a baking pan.

Cook the pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain. Place the pasta in a large bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon oil, tomato, scallions, feta, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the orzo mixture in the prepared oven bag.

Combine shrimp and basil. Arrange shrimp mixture on orzo mixture. Fold edge of bag over to seal. Bake for 25 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Cut open bag with a sharp knife, and peel back the foil. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil and serve.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light via The Dilettante Gourmand