
Here’s a great summer recipe that is family friendly… If your family eats avocado, shrimp, and bacon! One of our employees made it this weekend, and her 2-year-old begged for his own bowl (pictured above).
Ingredients:
- 1 box wagon wheel pasta (or other small, fun pasta, i.e. bow ties, rotini, etc.)
- 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 4 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp dried basil (such as this Litehouse Basil)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped (feel free to use pre-minced or chopped garlic from produce department, such as this Polaner’s chopped garlic)
- 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (tails off)
- 3 medium avocados (halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped or diced into small cubes)
- 8 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup shredded or shaved Italian cheese (i.e. Parmesan, Pecorino Romano)
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Boil water in a large pot. Once ready, cook pasta according to package directions (we recommend al dente). Set aside 1 cup of cooking water, drain pasta in a colander, and set aside.
- Halve the avocados, remove the seeds, and remove the “meat.” Chop or dice into crouton-sized cubes. Put in a large serving bowl. Add lemon juice, 3 Tbsp olive oil, and dried basil
- Cut raw bacon into small pieces (we recommend using kitchen shears).
**Note** If you don’t want the mess of cooking bacon, consider a pre-cooked bacon (King Kullen carries several varieties). Heat in microwave to prepare for recipe.
- While pasta is cooking, heat remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high in a large, deep saucepan or pot. Once heated, cook garlic until browned and fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Add shrimp to oil and garlic. Cook until pink and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add to pasta.
- Add cut bacon to the pan used for shrimp. Cook until crispy, stirring frequently. Put on a paper-towel lined plate to drain any bacon grease.
**Note** We recommended the deep pan or pot to reduce splatter.
- Add drained bacon and pasta to the bowl with avocado and shrimp. Mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with shredded Italian cheese.