Simple Shrimp Summer Pasta

These past few weeks since the honeymoon have disappeared in a whirlwind of activity - and at times, non-activity. After the honeymoon, I was home for just three days before heading to Miami for four days for one of my closest friend's bachelorette weekends. Since then, I've been trying to get re-adjusted to life post-honeymoon. But, because it is summer vacation, re-adjustment means setting up a routine. I haven't quite gotten into a solid routine yet, but I've been filling my days with thank you card writing and back-to-school planning, and watching Dexter (OMG I'm obsessed!). 
I've also been trying to spend more time in the kitchen, something I had less time to do than I would have liked as the school year began to wrap up and wedding planning got more intense. The other day, I was trying to use up some things I already had in the house and I came up with this super simple pasta dish.

1 large package pre-cooked shrimp, defrosted  1 tablespoon parsley 1 tablespoon thyme leaves 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 cloves of garlic, minced salt and pepper 1 lb. pasta of your choice - I used farfalle! (not pictured)
First, mince the garlic. If garlic isn't as much your thing as it is mine, you can reduce the amount of garlic. And if you like it even more than I do, feel free to add a bit more. After you've minced the garlic, begin cooking the pasta on another burner. 

Saute the garlic with the crushed red pepper in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.

While this is sauteing, mix the shrimp with parsley and thyme leaves. Then add to the pan and mix well together.


Cover the pan and let saute over the medium heat until the pasta is done. 

Then, mix the pasta with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and the shrimp saute, and serve.


I added a little bit of freshly shredded gouda over my pasta, but it would also be great with a little bit of parmesan or no cheese at all. This was a perfect summer dish - packed with flavor but not too dense. 
Have you been coming up with any simple summer dishes lately? Have a favorite cheese you like to add to pasta? I'd love to hear about it!