Hot Crab with Pasta & Vegetables

A quick seafood pasta dinner for two, tossed in a creamy tomato sauce spiked with lemon juice and a whisper of nutmeg. Steamed mushrooms and green peas round it out, and a shower of grated Parmesan ties everything together.

The sauce builds from fresh peeled tomatoes cooked down with evaporated skim milk and margarine. That evaporated milk is key. It gives the sauce a creamy body without curdling the way regular milk can when it hits the acid from the tomatoes and lemon. Let the tomatoes cook for a full 5 minutes before adding the milk so they break down and thicken first.

Stir the crab in at the end and pull the pot off the heat immediately. Overcooking makes crab tough and rubbery. You just want it warmed through from the residual heat of the sauce.

Pro Tips

• Steam the mushrooms and peas while the pasta boils so everything finishes at the same time.
• Use a short pasta shape like penne, rotini, or shells. The sauce and peas need curves and ridges to cling to.
• Taste the sauce before adding salt. The crab and Parmesan both bring plenty of sodium.

Variations

• Use real lump crab meat instead of imitation for a more luxurious version.
• Swap peas for steamed broccoli florets or asparagus tips cut into short pieces.
• Add a splash of dry white wine when cooking the tomatoes for extra depth.