Marinate the shrimp in the vinaigrette for 20 minutes or so.

Drain the shrimp, retaining the marinade.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook shrimp until pink, about 3 minutes.

Remove shrimp from skillet and keep warm.

Place marinade, cream cheese and half of the basil in the skillet.

Cook and stir until well blended; return shrimp to pan and continue cooking until heated thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

To serve, place a mount of noodles on plate; top with shrimp and sauce mixture.

Sprinkle with remaining basil and the shredded parmesan cheese.

You can also add fresh chopped tomatoes for extra flavor, color and texture.

I only bought the shrimp and basil to make this meal; all other ingredients came from my pantry and fridge.

Half a pound of shrimp cost $3.00, and the portion of basil I used about $0.50.

The pasta was free, using coupons at a Harris Teeter doubling event, and I paid less that $1.00 for the entire package of cream cheese, making the portion I used about $0.25.

Making my own vinaigrette cost pennies, as did shredding the Parmesan from a block.

I would estimate the cost of this main dish to be around $4.00 0r less.

The additional side dishes and bread would bring the total to somewhere between $5.00 or $6.00.

Not bad for an elegant anniversary dinner!