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It’s Wednesday night and you’ve had a long day. Pointless meetings and a to-do list coming out your ears. You should probably go to the gym, but seriously who has time after spending an hour or so sweating on a delayed train with a bunch of grumpy commuters, and that one guy who’s playing his music way too loudly. It’s far too easy to forgo a good home-cooked meal, spend too much on a Deliveroo and sit on the sofa watching Netflix.

I’m a big fan of one dish dinners. They’re generally quick and easy to make so are great when you’re in a rush or not feeling like slaving over the stove for hours, and require less washing up as you will mostly use one pot/pan and one bowl/plate. Easy! Prawn linguine has to be one of my favourite go-to meals. It’s so easy to whip up, full of flavour, can be made in just 1 pot, and takes about 10 minutes total.

You’ll need the following:

  • Linguine (or spaghetti/tagliatelle if that’s all you have. They all work)
  • Creme fraiche
  • Prawns
  • Lemon
  • Dill
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • White wine
  • Spring onion (optional)
  • Mushrooms (optional)
  • Spinach (optional)

You don’t need to have the exact ingredients, and you can add extras if you wish – I like to add mushrooms and spring onion to add some veg, but it’s delicious without these too.

Try to use the freshest prawns you can get. It gives the sauce a richer flavour and will stop the prawns from becoming over cooked and too chewy than if you were to use ready to eat prawns. If you do use ready to eat prawns then just add them at the end with the lemon. You’ll still have a tasty dish and they’re usually cheaper than fresh prawns, so are good if you’re on a budget.

In terms of serving size for the pasta, I find this difficult to determine as I don’t measure my pasta and just guestimate each time. I’d say you would generally go ⅕ packet of linguine/spaghetti per person, but that’s still eye-balling it.

The great thing about using creme fraiche instead of cream is that it’s so much lighter than cream! You can finish the dish and not feel like you’ve just eaten a massive meal (even if you give yourself a large portion like I do). The lemon adds some nice acidity to the dish and dill just goes really well with fish.

This recipe is great when you’re short on time and just need some tasty and easy to whip up.

Prawn Linguine

Struggling for dinner ideas? Can’t be bothered cooking? Whip this beauty up in 10 minutes flat
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 2/5 Packet Linguine/Spaghetti
  • 150 g King Prawns
  • 1/2 Medium Onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 300 ml Creme Fraiche
  • 1/2 Lemon
  • 2 tsp Dill
  • 1 pinch Salt & Pepper
  • 2 dash White Wine

Optional Extras

  • 1 cup Chestnut Mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp Spring Onions
  • 1 Handful Spinach

Instructions
 

  • Start with the pasta. Boil some water (use the kettle to save time and add it to the pot). Once boiled, add a pinch of salt and the pasta. The pasta shouldn’t take long, about 8 minutes, but if you’re using wholewheat pasta it will take a few minutes longer.
  • Next, dice 1/2 medium onion and crush 2 cloves of garlic. Heat a little oil in a pan and add onion and garlic to pan. Add a small pinch of salt to the pan to help break down the onion. Keep on a low heat and cook until the onion is translucent but not coloured.
  • Add a splash of white wine and cook for a bit. The pan will sizzle and any of the brown residue from the onion or garlic stuck to the bottom will come away. You want to cook the alcohol out of the wine, so cook for a couple of minutes before proceeding to the next step. Note: You don't have to add wine if you don't have it, but it does enhance the flavour of the dish. Plus you can save a glass at the end to have with your meal.
  • If you’re adding the extras (1 cup mushrooms, 2 tbsp spring onion, 1 handful spinach), add them here. I add a tiny bit of butter to give it a creamy texture and to brown the mushrooms nicely. You don’t need much at all, about a pinky nail sized amount.
  • Add 150g prawns and cook briefly – until the colour starts to change. Add 300ml creme fraiche, 2 tsp dill and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir for a bit and add the juice of half a lemon. Cook until prawns are fully pink and season to taste.
  • Your pasta should be done now too. You can serve as is or add a little Parmesan if you wish. Voila! 10 minute prawn linguine.