Macadamia Nut Pesto, Shrimp, Edamame Pasta

When summer arrives, my deck blooms full of flowers and herbs. This summer basil and parsley are doing exceptionally well, in spite of the heat.

This time I made the macadamia nut pesto. They are probably the best substitute for pine nuts because they are sweet and don’t make pesto bitter like walnuts or other nuts sometimes can.

I made this recipe twice in the last week. The second time I used organic spaghetti from Trader Joe’s and served to company. Everyone loved it. I have to say it was definitely my favorite pasta dish of the year.

Ingredients for Macadamia Nut Pesto Pasta with Trader’s Joe’s Shrim

• Macadamia Nuts
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil
• Salt, Pepper
• Pecorino or Parmesan (optional)
• Pasta (spaghetti or for low carb this edamame option)
• Shrimp

The shrimp I use most often are the Argentinian shrimp from Trader Joe’s. They are peeled, frozen and sweet, ready to jump into any recipe. See below for all the ways I’ve used these shrimp.

Once you have the pesto made, a quick sauté of the shrimp while the pasta is boiling and you will have a fantastic dinner. I added in a few sliced grape tomatoes for color.

Make this Dish Keto, Gluten Free Friendly

Low Carb Option: If you want to keep your dish low-carb, you can use edamame pasta, hearts of palm pasta or zoodles. You can find edmame pasta it in various stores or on Amazon. I find it works well in this dish.

My Favorite Food Processor

I recently purchased a Braun food processor on Amazon that does just about everything I need in the kitchen and is amazing. It juices lemons, chops nuts, makes the BEST buttercream, heavy cream, chops, grates and for this recipe makes the best pesto. If you are in the market for a food processor, you will love this one. It costs a little more than the average processor, but it does so much more. Made in Europe with German engineering, it’s not like any food processor I’ve ever owned.

More Low Carb Shrimp Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Keto Shrimp and Cheesy Cauliflower Grits
• Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash
• Shrimp Creole Cauliflower Rice
• Spicy Tuscan Shrimp
• Keto Shrimp Scampi
• Shrimp with Olives, Italian Spicy Zoodles

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Shrimp with Macadamia Nut Pesto

Fresh basil, macadamia nuts, lemon juice make a delightful summer pesto, perfect for shrimp.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Italian Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: basil, cajun shrimp, edamame pasta, macadamia nuts, pesto

Servings: 4 Servings

Author: Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Macadamia Nut Pesto

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh picked basil leaves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cups roasted salted macadamia nuts
• 1 cloves of garlic finely chopped before processing
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• dash of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• For completion by hand
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup parmesan or Pecorino cheese optional

Shrimp and Pasta

• 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1/2 pound pasta
• 1/4 cup pasta water
• 8 grape tomatoes optional

Instructions

Macadamia Nut Pesto

• Place all ingredients except cheese into a food processor. You must chop the garlic first, which makes it much better to process and doesn’t become a juice.
• I don’t like to use a food processor for this because I can pulse it and keep some texture, which I prefer.
• I skipped the cheese in this recipe, but if using, add by hand at the end, before adding butter.
• Shrimp and Pasta
• Add oil to a frying pan and sautè shrimp for about one minute on each side, until there is no pink showing. Set aside.
• Cook pasta according to directions. (Save about 1/4 cup of pasta water).
• Add drained pasta to pan with shrimp. Add enough pesto to cover pasta. You can add a little pasta water back in, as the starchy water helps to thicken. Add a tablespoon at a time.
• Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Add as garnish to pasta dish.

Notes

Regarding cheese, sometimes I just use pecorino romano. You can also use parmesan cheese. I  skip the cheese when using seafood.

Shrimp: We use a pound of shrimp, half pound pasta for 4 small servings. You can double this for larger servings or to serve six.

If you are adding this to pasta, reserve some pasta water (3 tablespoons or so) a little at a time to extend the pasta.

You may also heat the pesto on very very low and add in heavy cream for a creamy pesto pasta.

Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe,  please tag me #spinachtiger.

If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo