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Baked Greek Inspired Scampi Pasta Will Delight Your Family

Updated: August 12, 2023 


Easy Greek Shrimp Inspired Pasta




I previously talked about feta cheese, shrimp, and pasta on the blog when I shared my dad's shrimp and pasta salad recipe with you in 2011.  I love those flavors together. This baked scampi-type dish has some of the same ingredients but takes shrimp, feta, and pasta in a different direction. 

This Greek Scampi can easily be prepared in 20 minutes. 

It also got a thumb’s up from an elementary school-aged kid, who is as fickle as the wind.  He loves one meal and detests the next one, even though it was a meal that I swear he loved two weeks before.    

Keeping in line with my new motto of simplicity in the kitchen, you can get this meal on the table in about 20 minutes or less.  It’s the perfect busy weeknight meal.  Whether you eat it on the back porch is up to you, but most of our evenings end up there, and we eat out there on many spring nights.  If we don’t dine al fresco, then we at least dance al fresco.

Some al fresco dancing



 Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced (I used a tablespoon of prepared minced garlic)
2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, slightly drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used a dash of dried parsley in the pantry)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined ( I used frozen  shrimp, thawed)
4 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1 9-ounce package of angel hair pasta
Oregano to taste 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Saute garlic briefly before adding tomatoes and 1/4 cup of parsley ( I omitted the parsley here since I did not have fresh, and chose to add it later as a garnish).  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  Transfer to a casserole dish. 

Add shrimp on top tomato mixture, and top with feta cheese.  Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Feta does not melt, so you can set it onto broil and broil for one to two minutes until feta is golden brown. 

Cook pasta according to directions. Remove shrimp from oven.  Sprinkle with remaining parsley, lemon juice, and pepper.  Serve over the angel hair pasta or pasta of your choice. 



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Recipe for Raleigh Kanki's Garlic Chicken Fried Rice in Honor of its 50th Birthday

Raleigh, NC, USA

North Carolinians have celebrated special occasions at Kanki Japanese House of Steaks and Sushi in the Raleigh area for 50 years. My husband celebrated birthdays there as a child. We started doing the same tradition for our son, who will be 17 at the end of the year. Some people don't even have a special occasion to dine there. Instead, they enjoy the hibachi menu after a day of shopping at Crabtree Valley. 50 years in business. That is quite a milestone in the restaurant industry. 


Kanki hibachi-style Rice

If you've never been to Kanki Japanese House of Steaks and Sushi, you dine at a table with others unless your dining party takes up an entire hibachi grill. A server takes your order then the chef prepares your food in front of you. Each chef always has their own personality. Kids clap. Parents take photos, and it's pretty magical when a young child sees the chef turn the grill into a huge flame. Personally, I always hope I get the Teppanyaki Chef with the "wee-wee" boy who puts out the fire. Of course, not everyone loves the wee-wee boy like my family does, but that silliness, along with the fabulous yum yum sauce and the fried rice, has always made this restaurant a favorite of mine. 




Now that my kids are older, they also want sushi and the hibachi entree. It was less costly when they ate the kid's meal. Those were some good times. I rarely choose anything else but my usual filet mignon and shrimp, with my filet, always being medium-rare. The chef always nods like it's the best choice and typically gives me extra rice because half of it is gone before he can put my shrimp and steak on my plate. I always have the good intention of taking some of it home, but the white sauce mixed with the fried rice, meat, seafood, and vegetables just tastes so darn good that I end up waddling out of the restaurant with about five pounds extra in my stomach. 


Kanki white sauce


Kanki has been locally owned and operated since its flagship location opened at Crabtree Valley Mall in 1972. Since then, Kanki has opened two additional locations - one in North Raleigh and one in Durham/Chapel Hill. Kanki is known for being the Triangle's favorite place for celebrations. Kanki is proud to have been voted "Best Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in the Triangle" for more than 14 years!


Kanki Hibachi Grill


In honor of its 50th Anniversary, Corporate Chef Alex Cordova shared the home-chef version of fried rice with me. I'm thrilled to make this at home because I love Kanki's Fried Rice. This version is a complete meal with chicken. 


Garlic Chicken Fried Rice


Kanki Garlic Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of steamed white rice (short or medium grain)
1/2 cup of diced chicken, cut small
1/8 cup of green onions
1/4 cup of chopped white onion
1/4 cup of chopped carrots
1 tablespoon of garlic-butter
Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Sesame Seeds 
Cooking Oil

Heat oil in a pan. Add chicken. Salt and Pepper. Cook until about 1/2 way cooked. 

Add carrots and onions. Toss well. Move the mixture to one side of the pan. Add additional oil. 

Crack egg. Move the pan away from direct heat and begin to scramble the egg. 

Once scrambled, mix egg and chicken together, then add the white rice. Mix. Toss for a minute or two.  

Add 1 tablespoon of garlic butter to the rice mixture. You can add a little more if you love the flavor. Continue to mix and make sure all tiny rice clumps are separated. Finally, add a little more salt and pepper to the rice. 

Continue to cook by mixing, tossing, and removing any rice clumps.

Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Continue to mix for another minute. Toss in some sesame seeds. You do this last for it to remain crunchy. Mix.  

Plate the garlic chicken fried rice in a bowl. Toss with more sesame seeds. 

From heating oil to mixing sesame is approximately a five-minute process. Kanki calls this a single serving, but more than likely, it would feed two people unless you wanted to eat two cups of rice.  

Oh my, I now realize how much rice I eat Kanki in person.

Happy 50th Kanki!! We are so glad to celebrate with you. 


Photo Credits: Carolina Stamey


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