Creamy Shrimp and Veggie Pasta

I made this for dinner last night, and it was quite good. Fairly quick, especially if you buy shredded carrots (which I did) and shredded parmesan (which I did not). I did not use parsley on Child’s dish (he does not like ‘lettuce’). The sauce tasted very much like alfredo (but a lot better for you).

adapted from Cooking Light

1/2 pound uncooked long pasta (fettuccine, spaghetti, angel hair)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used precooked frozen shrimp)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/4 cup bacon crumbles (optional; we did not use it and it was still tasty)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; keep warm.

2. Heat up olive oil in a large skillet. Add shrimp and garlic to pan; sauté over medium-high heat 2 for minutes. Add peas and carrot; cook 2 minutes or just until shrimp are done. Transfer shrimp mixture to a large bowl; keep warm.

3. Combine milk, flour, salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove pan from heat; add cheese, stirring until blended.

4. Add milk mixture to shrimp mixture; stir until combined. Add pasta and half of the parsley, tossing gently to coat. Transfer pasta mixture to a platter or divide evenly among each of 4 plates; sprinkle evenly with remaining parsley and crumbled bacon, if desired. Serve immediately.