recipe review: shrimp fra diavolo

tonight we had shrimp fra diavolo from cooking light. i always get sucked into the facebook posts from cooking light and today was no different. this afternoon, there was a post about budget meals that linked to about 25 or so recipes that were all budget conscious. according to the cl website, this meal cashes in at $2.47 per serving. now i have to admit, i wouldnt normally think of shrimp as a budget meal, but cooking light got away with it by calling for the inexpensive medium sized shrimp. i had extra large (31-40 count) frozen shrimp on hand, so that is what i used. i also subbed a can of stewed tomato and a can of fire roasted diced tomato for the two types called for in the recipe. i find the canned varieties of stewed tomato and fire roasted tomato add a lot of full-bodied, cooked-all-day flavor, especially to quick cooking recipes. i also subbed lime juice for the lemon, because it was what i had in the fridge.

i have to say, this recipe was super easy to put together. it is one of those quick cooking meals where you absolutely want to already have all of your ingredients out, cans opened, onions diced, etc. before you get started. all of this can easily be accomplished while you wait for the pasta water to come to a boil. oh how i yearn for one of those induction stoves that kelly ripa is always dancing around that boils water in 90 seconds. but i digress. tonight was one of those nights, sadly increasing in numbers, where hubby was late leaving work. i decided i wasnt waiting any longer, and threw this whole dish together in less than 30 minutes. i dont know how it will taste for hubby as shrimp really should be eaten right away, but his loss. i found the meal to be delicious. it satisfied that spicy craving i was having without a ton of effort or forethought. it was a total pantry meal. i have to say though, that i am not sure how 1/2 box of pasta is supposed to serve 4 people. i did eat a bit more than the portion size, and hubby is certainly sitting down as i type to a bowl full that is much larger than portion size. i give this one a 4 out of 5.