Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Barilla. Thank you for supporting our work here at Food Heaven!

Today we’re whipping up this insanely delicious and satisfying Bucatini Pistachio Pesto w/ Spiced Shrimp! You may be wondering where the inspiration behind this dish came from…well, we’re happy you asked! This dish is inspired by Chef Sean Turner, who was the winner of the Barilla Pasta World Championship U.S. Qualifying Event (yes this actually exists and one day I dream to actually be there eating my heart out!). Sean will be heading to Paris in October to compete against chefs from around the world for the title of Master of Pasta at the 8th annual Pasta World Championship. Good luck, Sean!

Barilla collaborated with experts from Food & Wine magazine and other chefs in the industry to carefully select the skilled contestants, all of whom whipped up innovative pasta dishes! Below is a preview of all the fun that went down!

I actually got a sneak peek of the recipes before the winner was selected and chose Sean’s recipe to try out without even knowing he would be chosen as the winner! This meal was *meant* to be.

We used Barilla Collezione Bucatini for this recipe, which may be one of my favorite pastas. It has the perfect little hole down the middle that you can squeeze air into as you slurp it up (delicately, of course). Ready to get started?

Cook the pasta al dente, as directed on package. Drain, reserving pasta cooking water. Meanwhile, add the lemon juice, basil, parsley, onion, pistachios, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, and olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until you have a consistent, thick pesto. Salt, to taste.

Transfer the pesto to large deep skillet. Add the cooked pasta, and 1/2 cup of pasta water. Cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, until all of the pasta is well coated. Add additional water as needed.

Now onto the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and coat with the rest of the ingredients. Add to a pan and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Enjoy with the pasta!

Meal prep is done for the week! You can thank us later. Ready to give this recipe a try? Let us know how it turned out below in the comments! And don’t forget to root Sean on this October!

Bucatini Pistachio Pesto

Ingredients

For the pasta:

1 box 12 oz. Barilla® Collezione Bucatini
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cups of basil leaves
1 cup of Italian parsley leaves
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

For the shrimp:

1 pound bag of shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the pasta:

Cook pasta al dente, as directed on package. Drain, reserving pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, add the lemon juice, basil, parsley, onion, pistachios, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, and olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until you have a consistent, thick pesto. Salt, to taste.
Transfer the pesto to large deep skillet. Add the cooked pasta, and 1/2 cup of pasta water. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until all of the pasta is well coated. Add additional water as needed.

For the shrimp:

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and coat with the rest of the ingredients
Add to a pan and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Enjoy with the pasta!