Only Time for a Quickie

Concert night is hectic to say the least. The boy and I are usually on our own for dinner, while Jeff eats a frozen entree or a bowl of soup at school. Still, I often try to have something we can eat before the show that Jeff can warm up for a late dinner after we get home.

Tonight's quickie dinner is shrimp linguine with Alfredo sauce. This is especially easy because the only part I actually cook is the pasta. In addition, this dinner is made from frozen and packaged goods that I keep on hand, so we can have it any time. It is a tasty meal that feels homemade in less than 20 minutes. Enjoy!

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in a package of linguine.
2. While this cooks, pull a bag of veggies (like the California mix of cauliflower, carrots, and green beans) out of the freezer along with a bag of pre-cooked peeled and deveined shrimp. (This is often on sale at Fry's for $4.99 for a one pound bag. Use whichever size shrimp is the cheapest because everything gets mixed together for this dish, so no one will notice if you don't have the jumbo prawns - which are pretty pricey.
3. Pull some garlic bread out of the freezer as well, and preheat the oven to toast it. (While the loaves are nice, the guys and I really like the Texas toast style because it actually gets brown on each side while staying soft in the middle.)
4. When the linguine is almost done, pop the garlic bread in the oven to toast and add the frozen veggies and shrimp to the boiling water.
5. By the time the pasta has finished cooking everything else is defrosted and heated through. Simply drain the whole pot in a large strainer.
6. Pour a jar of Alfredo sauce into the still warm pot and return the pasta mixture. Add some black pepper and a squeeze of lemon for flavor. Stir everything together to evenly distribute the sauce, vegetables, and shrimp.
7. Dish up the pasta in bowls and sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top. Pull the bread out of the oven to serve on the side.

If you're out of frozen veggies some canned goods will suffice. Drain the canned vegetables well and add them just a moment or two before the pasta is done to heat them through. In addition, a can of tuna or chicken can easily be substituted for the frozen shrimp and still tastes good. Drain it well and add it to the sauce in the warm pot before returning the pasta and veggies.