Pasta with Shrimp and Creamy Roasted Tomatoes

I'm on a roll with the shrimp recipes lately. My Garlicy Shrimp Scampi , New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp, Sweet and Spicy Honey Grilled Shrimp Skewers, and (my personal favorite) Lemony Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp are all incredible.  I'm a sucker for creamy pastas and juicy shrimp, so this recipe had my name all over it when I first saw it on Recipe.com.  I love the idea of roasting the tomatoes and adding them to a creamy sauce...this makes such a wonderful, roasted-tomato flavor.  Heavy cream also makes everything better, causing this sauce to be super creamy and comforting.  This has big, flavorful shrimp swimming in a roasted tomato-creamy sauce.  The sauce isn't too tomato-y, which I really liked, and has a touch of lemon flavor...very refreshing.  It was rich and filling (from the heavy cream), yet light and summery (from the lemon flavor and shrimp) at the same time. There is also a perfect amount of sauce in proportion with the pasta and shrimp.  If you like lots of shrimp, use two pounds.  If you prefer less shrimp, then use one pound.  I used two pounds and there was lots of flavorful, big, juicy shrimp with every bite.  My parents said this was "restaurant quality"...I totally agree.

Yield: about 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pounds pasta (of your choice) 
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

Directions:

1.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for about 25 minutes, until starting to brown and their skins split.

2.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain.

3.

Add the cream and a generous amount of salt and desired amount of pepper to the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, gently crushing the tomatoes, until the cream thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp*** and simmer over moderate heat until cooked through, about 2-4 minutes.  Season with more salt and pepper. Add the pasta to the skillet along with the lemon juice and toss over low heat until the pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest and parsley and toss. Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer the pasta to warm bowls and serve at once.

***If using 2 pounds of shrimp, cook the shrimp in 2 batches, transferring the first batch to a plate with a slotted spoon and keeping warm with foil.  Add first batch of shrimp to pasta in the end.

***adapted from Recipes.com