Budget Friendly Lemon Shrimp Pasta Dinner | Fluster Buster (2024)

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Lemon Shrimp Pasta is simple enough for a weeknight meal, yet elegant enough for a romantic dinner. Best part, it can be prepared in less than 20 minutes and for around 5-dollars.

For the last few years I’ve been working on reducing our grocery bill, I kinda had to due to having two teenage boys who are bottomless pits when it comes to food. The only problem I had with trying to reduce the bill is that I didn’t want to sacrifice flavor. With a little planning, some smart shopping and a bit of creativity, I’ve been able to create several healthy, delicious and filling meals for around $5.00. I’m not talking just the entree, I’m talking the whole meal!

Any dish that has shrimp in it sounds like it would cost more than $5.00, right? However, shrimp is more affordable than you might think. With some savvy shopping tips and a great recipe you can serve your family shrimp and still keep your budget in check.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Shrimp Pasta is one of my family’s favorite meals, because it’s full of flavor and filling. I love it because it’s easy to make and it’s easy on my budget.

▪ Angel Hair Pasta or Thin Spaghetti noodles– pasta regularly goes on sale for 10/$10. When you see this kind of a sale, it doesn’t mean that you have to buy 10 in order to get the sale price, you can buy just one and only pay $1.00. However, you can get it even cheaper it you pair the sale with a coupon, be sure to stock up if you can get it for less than a dollar.
▪ Butter – you can substitute the butter with margarine, but butter tastes best.
▪ Onions
▪ Garlic
▪ Shrimp – frozen popcorn shrimp from a discount store is really affordable, I’ve found it for around $6.00 for 14 ounces. For this recipe I only use about 6-8 ounces, it’s the perfect amount to keep the flavors balanced.
▪ Lemon juice – I get mine from the dollar store, 32 ounces for a $1.00, you can’t beat that price.
▪ Lemon pepper – the dollar store is a great place to pick up herbs and spices at really affordable prices.
▪ Parmesan cheese – I purchase 6 ounces of finely grated Parmesan cheese from Walmart for less than $2.00. I only use a small portion for this recipe.

MORE IDEAS YOU’LL LOVE

A southern classic, that’s traditionally served for dinner or brunch. Sharp cheddar cheese, smokey bacon, onions and the delicate sweet taste of shrimp come together…. continue reading

HOW TO PREPARE THE LEMON SHRIMP PASTA

Step 1
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Step 2
In a large skillet, saute diced onions in melted butter for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and shrimp and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Step 3
Stir in the lemon juice, then add the pasta and toss to completely coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and lemon pepper before serving.

COOKING TIP

◾ As much as I love cooking cast iron I don’t suggest using them for this recipe, the acid from the lemon juice will break down the seasoning on the pan.

◾ For perfectly cooked shrimp, cook them until they resemble the letter “C”. If they look like an “O” they have been overcooked and will be tough and rubbery.

RECIPE TWEAKS

Add some steamed asparagus or broccoli for added flavor. You can also try adding more shrimp or bigger ones. Another option, try using different type of noodles, my kids like it when I use bow tie noodles.

HOW TO SERVE LEMON SHRIMP PASTA

Before serving sprinkle with a little lemon pepper and some grated Parmesan cheese. To make it a meal, serve the pasta along side of a simple side salad, with homemade ranch dressing and some garlic toast.

FRUGAL SUGGESTIONS

Check this out, it’s an inexpensive option for garlic toast. Instead of throwing out the heels from your loaves of bread, freeze. Then, the next time you want to make garlic toast, pull out what you need, spread it with a little garlic butter and heat it in a hot skillet. Delicious!

What meal do you turn to when money’s tight?

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HELPFUL TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY

✔ Create your weekly menu from the weekly store flyers. Let’s say ground beef is on sale this week, continue looking through the ad to find other items that are on sale that can be used in combination with the hamburger. Now you’ve just created a couple of meals at a fraction of the price.
✔ Pantry Staplesare an essential part of feeding a family on a small budget, plus it’s nice knowing that there is always something at home to cook.
✔ SuccessfulMeal Planningin just 3 simple steps, saves time, money, improves nutrition, and makes cooking more manageable.
✔ 40 Things You Can Do to Drastically Lower Your Grocery Bill – learn how to walk out of the grocery store paying less per bag than you ever have.

Making This Recipe?

We’d really love to see how it turned out. Snap a pic & tag it on Instagram with @flusterbuster

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updated 10/28/19 (images and format)