Spicy Seafood Pasta with Tomato Butter Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp butter, divided
• 8 oz frozen seafood mix
• 4 cloves garlic
• 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
• 8 oz fettuccine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Handful fresh parsley, optional garnish

Directions

1. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. When it’s hot and bubbling, add the frozen seafood mix. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent, 3-5 minutes. Don’t push the seafood too far here; it should stay tender and pliant. Transfer it to a clean bowl and set it aside.
2. Mince the garlic, then add it to the same skillet with 2 additional tablespoons butter. Cook the garlic in the butter and seafood juices for 1-2 minutes, just until it softens and smells wonderfully fragrant.
3. Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, and add the 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, if using. Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon or spatula. Bring the skillet to a simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, and crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces each time you stir.
4. When the sauce has been simmering for about 15 minutes, start a large pot of water for the pasta and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it in the boiling water for 7-10 minutes, until al dente. Drain it in a colander.
5. When the sauce is done simmering, stir in the 1/2 tsp salt. Taste the sauce and add more salt if it needs it.
6. Return the seafood to the skillet, along with any juices in the bowl. Add the drained pasta as well, then toss everything together until the sauce coats the pasta and seafood evenly. Finish with a handful of chopped fresh parsley, if you’d like.