Vegetable Ragu with Shrimp & Rigatoni | Dinner Recipes | Pasta

Vegetable Ragu with Shrimp and Rigatoni

Ragu comes in all shapes and sizes...  I've posted my beef ragu and pappardelle pasta, but this is a lighter version made with vegetables.  The texture, slight sweetness and flavor from carrots, onions and cherry tomatoes.  It is a quick recipe - a whirl in the food processor, then 10 minutes in the skillet. 

I added shrimp (reminiscent of a dinner I had at a French bistro with wide egg noodles) to this recipe, but you can add mushrooms, chicken, pork, pancetta, etc.

Vegetable Ragu with Shrimp and Rigatoni

2 large carrots
1 yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 tablespoon of italian herbs (any combo of dried or fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of red wine
4 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved or sliced
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 pound of shrimp, peeled
1 pound of pasta - rigatoni or penne work great
parmesan cheese
italian flat leaf parsley

Before you begin the sauce, put a pot of water on to boil.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of sea salt to the water.

Cut onions, carrots and garlic into a large dice and put in the food processor.

 Pulse food processor until the vegetables are chopped - not too finely. 

 Cook the vegetables in a skillet on medium with the olive oil for 5 minutes until tender.

*Now would be a great time to put the pasta in the boiling water to cook. 















 Add wine and tomato paste.  Stir and cook on medium for 5 minutes until the vegetables have absorbed the wine.

Add the cherry tomatoes and continue to cook.

Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes - just until shrimp are cooked.

Add cream.  *Pasta should be just about done!

Stir the cream in and combine until a sauce is formed.  To thin the sauce, add some of the pasta water, if necessary.   Remove the sauce from heat.  Strain pasta and put it directly into the sauce (without rinsing).

Toss and serve with Parmesan cheese and parsley.