Roasted Shrimp with Peppers and Lemon

Real Simple magazine did a story about weeknight meals with pantry staples - or something like that - and this was one of them.

I love shrimp and this makes enough for leftovers, and that makes me happy.

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 scallions, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound frozen large peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cook the rice according to the package directions.

The recipe doesn't mind being tinkered with - when I made it the other day, I used a yellow pepper instead of red. When I realized we didn't have any scallions I and chopped up a pearl onion instead.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the bell pepper, lemon, thyme, scallions, crushed red pepper, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper.



Spread on a rimmed baking sheet (reserving the bowl).

Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss with the paprika, the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.



Nestle the shrimp in the bell peppers on the baking sheet. Roast until the shrimp are cooked through and the bell peppers are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

(My two cents: The shrimp take no time to cook - like 8 minutes. The strips of bell pepper are nowhere close to being done by then. Next time, I'm going to saute the bell pepper strips first, just a bit, in olive oil. I like them to still have a nice satisfying crunch but I want them cooked, not raw.)


Serve over the rice.

Tip:
To freeze: No need to thaw the shrimp. Just divide all the ingredients among 4 freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook: Transfer the frozen ingredients to a baking sheet and roast at 450° F for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with cooked long-grain white rice.

The next day, I got to have this wonderful grilled shrimp salad. I chopped the shrimp and a few roasted bell peppers, added them to spinach, and topped it with a vinaigrette. So good!