I remember a weeknight when the fridge had a handful of shrimp and a half box of pasta, and a quick skillet sauce turned them into the kind of Shrimp Pasta everyone asked for seconds of, simple comfort that feels a bit special without needing hours.
Why You’ll Love It
This recipe is fast, dependable, and friendly for busy evenings. It uses one pan for the sauce and quick boiled pasta so cleanup is easy, the flavors are bright enough for a weeknight but polished enough for friends, and it suits people who like protein forward meals with a fresh lemony finish.
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes |
Cook Time: 15 minutes |
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot finely chopped or 1 small onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved or 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus extra for serving
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions, reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- While pasta cooks pat shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add shrimp and sear 1 to 2 minutes per side until just pink, remove shrimp to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium, add remaining butter, then add shallot and cook until translucent about 2 minutes, add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add cherry tomatoes and cook until they start to soften about 3 minutes, pour in wine and scrape up browned bits, simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Stir in heavy cream and grated Parmesan, simmer gently until the sauce thickens about 2 to 3 minutes, add lemon juice and red pepper flakes if using.
- Return shrimp to the skillet and add drained pasta, toss to combine adding reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to loosen the sauce as needed, adjust seasoning.
- Serve immediately with chopped parsley and extra Parmesan.
Recipe Variations
- Garlic Lemon Shrimp Pasta Swap the tomatoes and cream for extra garlic, lemon zest, and olive oil for a lighter citrus finish.
- Spicy Arrabbiata Add crushed red pepper and use crushed tomatoes for a tomato forward spicy version.
- Gluten Free Use gluten free pasta and a splash more pasta water to reach the right sauce consistency.
- Creamy Spinach Add a couple handfuls of baby spinach in step 6 until wilted for extra greens.
Make Ahead: You can chop shallot and garlic and halve cherry tomatoes up to 24 hours ahead and store in the refrigerator, cook and cool the pasta and store separately for up to 2 days in an airtight container, store cooked shrimp and sauce separately in the fridge for up to 24 hours and reheat gently together with a splash of pasta water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen shrimp for this recipe
Yes thaw frozen shrimp in cold water and pat dry before cooking, cooking time is the same once thawed
What pasta shape works best
Long noodles like spaghetti or linguine catch the sauce well but short pasta like penne also works, adjust cooking time accordingly
Can I make this dairy free
Substitute cream with full fat coconut milk for richness and use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan for a dairy free option
Shrimp Pasta
This recipe is fast, dependable, and friendly for busy evenings. It uses one pan for the sauce and quick boiled pasta so cleanup is easy, the flavors are bright enough for a weeknight but polished enough for friends, and it suits people who like protein forward meals with a fresh lemony finish.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot finely chopped or 1 small onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved or 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus extra for serving
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions, reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- While pasta cooks pat shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add shrimp and sear 1 to 2 minutes per side until just pink, remove shrimp to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium, add remaining butter, then add shallot and cook until translucent about 2 minutes, add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add cherry tomatoes and cook until they start to soften about 3 minutes, pour in wine and scrape up browned bits, simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Stir in heavy cream and grated Parmesan, simmer gently until the sauce thickens about 2 to 3 minutes, add lemon juice and red pepper flakes if using.
- Return shrimp to the skillet and add drained pasta, toss to combine adding reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to loosen the sauce as needed, adjust seasoning.
- Serve immediately with chopped parsley and extra Parmesan.
Conclusion
This Shrimp Pasta is one of those reliable meals you can pull together on a busy evening and still feel proud of, it balances speed with fresh bright flavors and is forgiving enough for small swaps, trust the basic steps, keep shrimp tender, and tweak the sauce to your taste to make it your go to weeknight favorite.
