Shrimp Scampi Over Orzo

Valentine’s Day is coming up!  According to our Facebook page, many of you are looking for some healthy V-Day dinner ideas.  Well, here’s a good one!  I make this all of the time during the week because it’s quick and easy.  This year, February 14^th falls on a Thursday so many of you will be coming home from work and looking for something that doesn’t take hours to cook but is worthy of a special occasion. 

Treat your sweetheart to shrimp scampi over orzo.  Everyone knows how well lemon and seafood goes together.  Well, what about seafood, lemon, garlic and butter???  That is the basis for any great scampi sauce.  I served this with baby zucchini but you can make this meal restaurant-worthy by adding baked French bread and a sexy dessert such as homemade chocolate covered strawberries.  Best part about this dish?  Garlic is an aphrodisiac (wink, wink!).

Shrimp Scampi Over Orzo

1c uncooked orzo

3 tbsp butter or margarine, divided

1 tsp salt, divided

1 tsp black pepper, divided

2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely minced

1 - 1.5 lb peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

¼ c chopped fresh parsley

Cook orzo according to package directions.  Drain.  Stir in 1 tbsp butter, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. 

While orzo cooks, melt 2 tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic.  Cook 1-2 mins until fragrant.  Add shrimp.  Sprinkle shrimp with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.  Once cooked on one side, add lemon juice, stir, and cook shrimp on other side.  Remove shrimp from heat.  Stir in half of the chopped parsley.

Stir remaining parsley and a small amount of the sauce from the cooked shrimp into the orzo.   Serve shrimp over orzo.

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