30-minute broccoli shrimp alfredo-ish

cozy easy comfort food

The thing I love most about writing this newsletter is that it isn’t static — it changes with the seasons, the collective feelings of this community, what we want and what we need. When I’m getting hundreds of DMs from people across the country telling me that you all have the flu, I can share a cozy restorative soup. Thousands of us cooked steak and creamed spinach for Valentine’s. And when I’m FaceTime-ing with my mama and it’s pouring buckets out of both of our windows in North Carolina and California — and I receive 10 DMs in one day asking for a really quick recipe this week because this is a weirdly hectic time of year — a super quick and cozy pasta recipe is the only solution.

Every single ingredient in this pasta is a pantry staple for me — I always have Boursin and butter in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer. I also wanted this pasta to be insanely quick and easy. Does the shrimp have a perfect golden-brown sear? Nope. Does that take away from how delicious this meal is? Not even a little. It’s all about balancing the effort with the reward and this one is LOW effort, HIGH reward. We’re boiling the pasta, broccoli, and shrimp all in the same pot of water by timing it all perfectly and dropping each ingredient in at a different time.

You also have a choice! Option one is to use one 5-ounce package of Boursin. This gives you a light and delicious sauce. Option two is to use TWO 5-ounce packages of Boursin. This ups the creaminess and makes it even more Alfredo-y — it also yields a richer, more decadent dish. I made and loved it both ways! It’s all about what kind of mood you’re in.

Either way, it’s a smart, time-hacking recipe, and it’s just so easy and cozy and delightful. I love it with shrimp and broccoli, but for those nights when you just need some dang pasta, leave them out! Or try one of the riffs below. I hope it becomes your new back-pocket comfort recipe.

PS, funny enough, it was almost exactly four years ago when I last developed a Boursin pasta and… it had shrimp in it, too! This one has a totally different flavor profile and takes a quarter of the time.

Fresh vs. frozen

I almost always buy frozen shrimp! When shrimp is caught at sea, it’s immediately put in a freezer right there on the boat. Frozen shrimp you thaw yourself will often be fresher than “fresh” shrimp you buy at the store, which were previously frozen then thawed to be put on display.

If you live near the coast and have access to a fishmonger — aka a shop that exclusively sells fish — the fresh shrimp on display might really be fresh from the boat (in which case, yum!). You can call ahead and ask if it’s fresh or previously frozen. Either way, try to buy those suckers peeled, deveined, and ideally with the tails off to make your life easier.

What do the numbers mean?

Shrimp size is denoted with a word like “small,” “medium,” “large,” “extra large,” “jumbo,” or “colossal” and/or a number, which represents the number of shrimp that make up a pound. For example, 21/25 stands for 21 to 25 shrimp per pound. The higher the number, the smaller the shrimp. The lower the number, the bigger the shrimp.

I used U-20, which means “under 20 shrimp per pound.” So, I used big guys! You can use absolutely any size though. If they’re smaller, they’ll need less cooking time. If they’re really big (like “colossal” size), I’d actually cut them in half and cook for the same amount of time so that you don’t need a knife to eat this meal!

This recipe is endlessly riffable. Here are a few of my favorite spins on it — use them as a guide for winging it with what you have in the fridge!

• Chicken Alfredo // Omit the shrimp but cook the pasta and broccoli as written. Cube 1 pound chicken breasts and season them with salt, pepper, and a shake of garlic powder. After you drain the pasta (don’t forget to scoop out your pasta water before you drain it!!), melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in the pot over medium heat, then cook the chicken in the butter for 4 to 5 minutes, until cooked through. Add back the noodles and broccoli and proceed with the recipe.

• Cajun chicken Alfredo // If you like some kick, follow the chicken Alfredo how to above but add a few shakes of Cajun seasoning to the chicken along with the salt and pep.

• Creamy sausage + asparagus pasta // Omit the shrimp and broccoli. After draining the pasta, cook 1 pound mild or spicy Italian sausage in the pot over medium-high heat until cooked through but not yet crispy. Trim the woody stems off of 1 bunch asparagus then cut the stalks into 1-inch pieces. Add the asparagus to the pot and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. If you need to add more oil, do it. Add a big pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Now proceed with the recipe, adding the butter, Boursin, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

• Creamy mushroom Alfredo // Omit the shrimp. Cook the noodles and broccoli (ooh, or peas — peas would be great!) as written. Once you drain them, melt the butter in the pot over medium heat and add 16 ounces sliced mushrooms. Cook them, stirring occasionally, until they release moisture and the moisture cooks off. Season with some kosher salt and pepper. Add back the noodles and broccoli, and proceed with the recipe!

Obsessed with Boursin-flavored pasta now and want to mix up the veggies and cooking method?! That one-pan creamy Boursin pasta with (or without) shrimp is for you! Need another incredibly easy weeknight pasta that requires only pantry staples? Go for one-pot pantry pasta. Or want another shrimp pasta that has a totally different vibe and flavor profile? Cook one-pot lemony garlic butter shrimp orzo.

I’ll be cooking this recipe live on Substack this Sunday, February 16th, at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET). Grab the ingredients and cook along with me, or just come hang in the chat! If you can’t make it, we’ll send a recording of the video on Monday morning.

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Cook time: 30 minutes total, 10 minutes active

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