Shortcut Shrimp Pad Thai

You know how they tell boys, “You marry your mother?” Well, there was some real truth to that adage for my husband Ryan. When it comes to taste in food (and favorite colors, communication styles, love of reading, competitiveness…), his mom Becky and I are two peas in a pod. If we go out to eat as a family, nine times out of ten, Becky and I will vote for the same restaurant. And when we get there, we will choose the same thing. We aren’t even the kind of people who go for same-old, same-old! We each review the menu and decide to try something new – the same something new.

Of course, we do have some stand-bys. One of our favorite restaurants to eat at as a family serves Chinese and Thai-style food. When we go there, Becky and I always choose either their chicken or shrimp Pad Thai. It has such a great mix of flavors – rice noodles with veggies, along with the fresh taste of cilantro, saltiness of peanuts… mmm! So good.

I’ve tried a number of different spins on Pad Thai recipes at home – including Land O’Lakes’ Thai Ginger Chicken and Vegetables. The thing is, it usually requires a lot of work. So many different spices to get the right flavors. That’s why the Weeknight Shrimp Pad Thai recipe is a big win! The seasonings are already in a neat little pat, so it keeps your work to a minimum. You could eat Pad Thai any night of the week!

To make Shrimp Pad Thai in the comfort of your own kitchen, start by preparing the rice noodles according to the package directions. That will take about twenty minutes – the perfect amount of time to get everything else together.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce and sugar. Set aside.

Grab a 12-inch skillet and toss the Garlic & Herb Sauté Express® squares into it. Warm over medium-low heat until bubbles start to form.

Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet.

Place the shrimp in the skillet. Cook it for 2-3 minutes, stirring and turning occasionally.

Note: To make your meal prep go quickly, I strongly recommend purchasing shrimp that are already peeled and deveined. I didn’t realize that the raw shrimp that I purchased required those extra steps, so my dinner wasn’t nearly as speedy as I would have liked. Do yourself a favor and take this extra shortcut!

Add green onions to the skillet with the shrimp and seasonings. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is cooked through.

Add the cooked rice noodles, bean sprouts and cilantro to your skillet.

Toss everything together so that spicy Asian flavoring coats all of the ingredients. Remove the pan from the heat of the stove.

Serve up a heaping portion of Weeknight Shrimp Pad Thai for yourself (and your fabulous mother-in-law, if she is available), sprinkle it with some crushed peanuts and garnish with a lime wedge.

Add this recipe to your list of quick-and-easy weeknight meals. With just a few staples on hand, you can serve restaurant-worthy Thai food in under half an hour!