The light pumpkin and shrimp pasta is a creamy and delicate seafood first course prepared with pumpkin velouté and shrimp tails.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
I added the pumpkin in the form of light pumpkin velouté.
Alternatively, you can simply boil the pumpkin and blend it or mash it with a fork into a puree.
Shrimp, from large prawns to small shrimp
I used frozen shrimp tails which you can replace with shrimp or large prawns depending on availability and taste.
- pumpkin (flesh)
- as needed water
- 1 bouillon cube (vegetable, homemade, optional)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- 1 pinch turmeric powder (optional)
- shrimp tails (or prawns, large prawns, shrimp)
- 6 oz square spaghetti (whole-wheat)
- 1/2 shallot
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 4 stems parsley
- 1 small glass white wine
- as needed chopped parsley
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil (added raw)
Suggested tools
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Hand Blender
- 1 Pan preferably with a glass lid
Preparation
I added the pumpkin in the form of light pumpkin velouté.
Alternatively, you can simply boil the pumpkin and blend it or mash it with a fork into a puree.Clean the pumpkin
Wash the pumpkin.
Cut the pumpkin into slices.
Remove the skin and seeds.Sometimes, for convenience, I buy the pumpkin already cleaned – just the flesh – in a tray.
Cut the flesh into pieces or dice or cubes: the smaller they are, the faster they will cook.
Light pumpkin velouté made with water, without cream and without potatoes
Put the flesh into a saucepan and cover it with water.
Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the flesh becomes tender.
With the heat off, add a vegetable bouillon cube [optional] and stir until it dissolves into the pumpkin.
Adjust salt and grind the pepper.
Blend with an immersion blender directly in the saucepan until you obtain a homogeneous, velvety consistency.
I added a pinch of turmeric [optional].
Shrimp, from large prawns to small shrimp
I used frozen shrimp tails which you can replace with shrimp or large prawns depending on availability and taste.You can use frozen shrimp tails thawed after moving them from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before.
Alternatively, thaw the frozen shrimp tails under running water to remove the ice glaze.Shell the shrimp tails.
Make a cut along the back and with the help of a toothpick remove the vein.
Rinse them thoroughly under running water and drain them in a colander.Peel the shallot, remove the ends and slice it finely.
In a pan heat a sprinkling of garlic powder, the shallot and a few parsley stems to flavor.
Deglaze with a small glass of white wine.Add the shrimp tails, stir and sauté them over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
Add the pumpkin velouté [1-2 ladles] or the pumpkin reduced to puree and stir.Cook the pasta al dente, drain it and rinse it quickly under running water.
Meanwhile, heat the pumpkin and shrimp.Pour the pasta into the pan with pumpkin and shrimp and stir.
With the heat off, add the chopped parsley and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil added raw.Plate.
Your light pumpkin and shrimp pasta is ready.
Enjoy your meal!
The pumpkin and shrimp pasta is a complete dish; add your portion of vegetables so as to compose a balanced meal or single-course dish that helps keep blood sugar stable.
Storage, tips and variations
Meal prep
Prepare the pumpkin velouté in multiple portions to have a convenient stock in the freezer ready for your recipes.
Shrimp, from large prawns to small shrimp
For convenience I more often use large prawns: peeling and cleaning a few large prawns per person is much simpler than peeling and cleaning whole portions of small shrimp.
Use whole-wheat pasta to increase the fiber content.
Try it with a pinch of crushed dried red chili or fresh rosemary.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Pumpkin and diabetes
glycemic index pumpkin of any kind GI 75.
Besides the glycemic index it is important to consider the glycemic load which is determined by the amount of food consumed.
Pumpkin has a high glycemic index but low glycemic load.
Can I eat pumpkin? That’s a question you should ask your diabetologist.
Can people with diabetes eat pumpkin? Follow your dietary plan; ours includes it.
That said, here are my personal notes on the subject.
Usually, in cases of hyperglycemia, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes pumpkin can be consumed without exceeding portion sizes.Shrimp in the diet
Shrimp, from large prawns to small shrimp, are crustaceans low in triglycerides but high in cholesterol and they also contain a small amount of available carbohydrates.
For these reasons they are not indicated in all diets.
In our dietary plan shrimp are among the foods classified as “to be consumed occasionally”.
