Pasta with shrimps, tomatoes and zucchini pesto

Pasta is an incredible dish. Thanks to the sauces and fillings, this dish has so many variations that sometimes one is surprised at the imagination of Italian chefs. This version of the pasta - with shrimp, cherry tomatoes and pesto sauce - is also unusual. Traditionally made with basil, pine nuts and olive oil, the pesto sauce looks very different in this recipe. The base of the pesto is zucchini!

Ingredients

• For pasta:
• Penne pasta - 250 g
• Shrimps - 250 g
• Cherry tomatoes - 250 g
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons
• Garlic - 1-2 teeth.
• Salt - 1 tsp
• For the pesto sauce:
• Zucchini - 2 pcs.
• Hard cheese - 50 g
• Olive oil - 5 tbsp. spoons
• Almonds - 10 pcs.
• Garlic - 1 tooth
• Basil - 3-4 sprigs
• Salt - 1/2 tsp

Directions

1. Peel the zucchini and cut into small pieces.
2. Remove the peel from the almonds (scald with boiling water), put the nuts and a clove of garlic in a blender bowl.
3. Send the pieces of zucchini there.
4. Grind the contents at low speed. Do not add water! At first it will be a little difficult to grind, but then the zucchini will juice out and the contents will turn into a thick mass. Then add olive oil and salt.
5. Grate the hard cheese on a fine grater and place in the blender bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Interrupt everything into a homogeneous mass.
6. The sauce turns out to be a thick consistency, falls from a spoon in large drops. The pesto is ready.
7. For the pasta, prepare penne pasta (or feathers), cherry tomatoes, shrimp (raw or cooked-frozen), butter, and garlic.
8. Boil the pasta in boiling water until it is al dente - almost boil it.
9. Fry halves of cherry tomatoes and a whole clove of garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes.
10. Add the peeled shrimp to them and fry together for 2-3 minutes.
11. Drain the almost finished pasta. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of pasta water into the pesto sauce.
12. Add the sauce to the feathers, stir. Let the sauce sit for 1 minute to soak into the warm pasta and cook until tender.
13. The filling is already ready, the pasta too, you can shape the pasta for serving.
14. Place the pasta on a large plate.
15. Put the filling on top - shrimps and tomatoes along with butter. Garnish with fresh basil.
16. Serve while hot. The cheese melts slightly, the sauce made the pasta juicy, rich in taste, the aroma of basil makes your head spin, sweet shrimps and tomatoes complete this Mediterranean ensemble!
17. Bon Appetit!