Feta & Herb Shrimp Pasta

Do you know how much work it is to re-do cabinetry? Let me tell you the funny chain of events that led to us never quitting our day jobs and becoming cabinet re-finishers.







1. Our obvious blind spots which led to Niagara Falls type paint drops.

2. Drilling holes into the wrong side of the doors, right after you had just spent 4 painstaking days completing several layers.

3. Finishing up the paint on the last 8 doors and having 3 white hairy dogs come running through your garage as you scream in horror…the color of the cabinets is espresso…with a sprinkle of fur at this point.







Number 3 is actually true, you really can’t make stuff like that up. The kind of stuff I do make up always has to do with my Indy and how well behaved she is. Sometimes you just can't let the teachers know that well...you know.






“Really, Indigo? She tried to drop kick her one of her teachers today?” “Well that is so strange, she never act’s that way at home.”

Could you tell I was lying there? Well good, because I totally wasn’t….

Also dear husband I hardly spent any money at Target this weekend I swear…

Totally telling the truth.







INGREDIENTS
Delightfully Borrowed, slight altered from Annie’s Eats
{Printable Recipe}

1 lb. pasta shapes
1 lb. raw shrimp (31-40 ct.), peeled and deveined, cut in half (if desired)
7 oz. feta cheese, crumbled and divided
Zest of 1 lemon, divided
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped, divided
5 tbsp. butter, divided
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper







DIRECTIONS

 Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Drain well; set aside. Add the raw shrimp to the warm pasta and toss together. The heat from the pasta will partially cook the shrimp.







Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. In a small bowl, combine a handful of the feta, a pinch of the lemon zest, the panko, 2 teaspoons of the parsley and 1 tablespoon of the butter, melted. Toss with a fork to combine; set aside.







In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to form a paste. Cook 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly, until light golden brown.







Whisk in the milk. Continue to heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. As soon as the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining feta, Monterey Jack, remaining parsley, remaining lemon zest, dill, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the pasta and shrimp and mix well.







Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased large baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumb-feta mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

This pasta is so super good and tasty, a refreshing summer pasta for sure.  NO LIE.