Cut a piece of aluminum foil about a 10 inches and lay it flat.
Take two bulbs of fresh garlic and cut about 1/2 inch from the top. You want to expose a little of the garlic clove tops. Discard the garlic tops.
Drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme, and a small pinch of kosher salt.
Fold the foil around the garlic into a packet, place on a small sheet pan and roast for about 45 minutes or until tender and golden.
Once cool enough to handle, remove the roasted cloves of garlic with a fork and set aside in a bowl.
Roasted garlic spaghetti
Start by cooking spaghetti as directed on the package instructions. If you are using gluten free spaghetti, remove about 1 minute before suggested cooking time. This reduces breakage.
While the pasta is cooking, chop 1 cup of flat leaf Parsley, either shred or measure out 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup of olive oil and get your spices ready as the dish comes together quickly once the pasta is cooked.
Once the pasta is ready to drain, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and leave in colander.
In the pot you cooked spaghetti in, add 1/4 cup of olive oil, roasted garlic, chopped parsley, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Sauté until it's hot and aromatic, crushing the garlic as you go, 1 minute or 2. Add 1/2 cup of cheese and 1/2 cup of pasta water. Continue to stir.
Now add cooked pasta back into pot with the garlic and olive oil mixture. Add remaining parmesan cheese, and pasta water. Add 1 tbsp of butter. Toss gently to combine ensuring that the sauce completely covers spaghetti.
Preparation of shrimp - sauté and grilling directions below
SAUTE: Use 1 pound of thawed, peeled deveined shrimp. Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Pat the shrimp dry to remove any excess water. Place in bowl and add 1/2-1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt, 1/2 tsp of paprika, and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Add the juice of half a lemon. Toss until the shrimp is evenly coated. Feel free to adjust spice level.
Add shrimp to the hot skillet and cook for about 4-6 or until shrimp is completely pink and they start to curl. Remove from heat and serve immediately with the Roasted Garlic Spaghetti.
NOTE: The smaller the shrimp, the faster the cook times. For this recipe I used jumbo shrimp that are 16-20 pieces per pound.
GRILL: Use 1 pound of thawed, peeled, large, deveined shrimp. (NOTE: Extra large, and jumbo shrimp as best for grilling. If you have medium and smaller, opt for the sauté method) You will need garlic salt, sweet paprika, fresh lemon, olive oil, and pepper. Carefully pierce each piece of shrimp onto the skewer. I used to extra large skewers but you can use anything you have on hand. Once all the shrimp are on skewers, spray or brush on olive oil, sprinkle garlic salt, then sweet paprika and finally pepper. Season both sides of the shrimp skewer. Squeeze fresh lemon juice onto each skewer.
On a medium hot grill, grill skewers for about 4 minutes on each side. Shrimp will be cooked when they have completely turned pink and are starting to curl a little bit. Remove from grill and serve immediately.
Notes
NOTE: If you are not a fan of shrimp, this spaghetti is equally delicious with chicken, salmon, and steak! You can use the same simple spice blend for all three.
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Calories are based on a 1/4 of the total recipe. It's a generous serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 3ozCalories: 732kcal
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
Keyword Mediterranean Diet, pasta with seafood, shrimp recipe, spaghetti and shrimp