With this recipe, I have officially made it farther in Whip It Up this year than last year. Pathetic, I know! But I’m so excited and proud of myself. Stay tuned next week as we hit the half way point! Check out the headquarters for more recipes from this week which will be posted Sunday!

This week I chose a recipe my mom emailed to me that she hadn’t tried. It had bacon in it so I was sold!

The lowdown:

Was the recipe easy to follow?: Yes. There 4 basic ingredients and if you prep and follow the flow, it was easy!

Did it taste good?: Ok, I think the lemon juice is a bit much. It was super lemony – I might cut that a bit. It took me a whole lemon to get 1/4 cup so I would suggest squeezing just half a lemon. Also, I’m a big fan of bacon and my hubby and I thought that it could use a bit more bacon next time. Otherwise, it was satisfying.

Would you make it again?: I might. We’ll have to see how they do as leftovers. This recipe wasn’t worth raving over but it was fine.  Because shrimp is expensive I don’t think it will go into a weekly rotation that’s for sure!

Rotini with Shrimp and Bacon

from Good Housekeeping

Serves: 4

Total Time: 25 min

Prep Time: 25 min

Ingredients

• 12 ounce(s) rotini pasta
• Salt
• 4 slice(s) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 to 2  lemons
• 1 pound(s) large shelled and deveined shrimp
• 1/2 cup(s) loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus additional leaves for garnish

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Directions

1. Heat large covered saucepot of salted water to boiling on high. Add pasta and cook as label directs. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water; drain pasta and return to saucepot.

1. Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon on medium 9 to 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Remove all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat from skillet.

1. While bacon cooks, from lemon(s), grate 1/2 teaspoon peel and squeeze 1/4 cup juice; set aside.

1. To fat in skillet, add shrimp; cook on medium 4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in reserved pasta water and heat to boiling on medium. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque throughout. Remove from heat; stir in basil, lemon peel and juice, and reserved bacon. Add shrimp mixture to pasta and toss to coat. Transfer to bowls and garnish with basil.