Easy 30-Minute Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe

This creamy shrimp pasta recipe comes together in about 30 minutes and is almost a one-pan dinner! The shrimp cooks up perfectly tender in garlic, butter, and herbs and then is served with al dente linguine tossed in a simple white wine cream sauce. This dish is loaded with flavor but easy enough for a busy weeknight!

Easy Shrimp Pasta Recipe

• You’ll never believe this is a 30-minute meal! This shrimp pasta is so flavorful it’s hard to imagine that it can be thrown together in about a half hour. The shrimp gets all its flavor from fresh garlic, butter, and herbs. Then the linguine is tossed in a creamy pan sauce made from the shrimp drippings, white wine, heavy cream, and more herbs! The layers of flavor in this shrimp pasta make it a meal to remember!
• It’s made with really simple ingredients. The best part about this dish is that it’s made with super simple ingredients that can easily be found at your local grocery store. You might even have some of them in your pantry or fridge already! Sometimes keeping it simple really is the way to go.

Ingredients to Make Shrimp Pasta

• Linguine: My favorite noodle for this shrimp pasta recipe is linguine. The long, flat noodles do a great job of holding onto the ultra-creamy sauce.
• Pasta Water: Reserve some pasta water to help thicken the sauce and help it stick to the pasta better.
• Olive Oil & Butter: The combination of olive oil and butter gives you a delicious flavor boost from the butter while allowing you to sear the shrimp at a higher temperature thanks to the olive oil.
• Extra-Large Shrimp: I like to use extra-large shrimp for this recipe but you can also use jumbo or large. Small shrimp don’t work well for this pasta because they just get lost.
• Garlic & Herbs: Freshly minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and fresh chopped parsley take this shrimp pasta to the next level. Always mince fresh garlic for this recipe – garlic powder will not do the dish justice. If you don’t have Italian seasoning try substituting with dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried basil.
• Dry White Wine: Pick a dry white wine that you enjoy drinking. I like to use sauvignon blanc or pinto grigio. Sweet wine or dessert wine are not recommended. You can substitute the wine with chicken broth if you prefer.
• Heavy Cream: Stick with heavy cream for this recipe. Half and half or whole milk are not going to give you quite the right texture. They will make the sauce much thinner and you’ll lose a lot of flavor.
• Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese adds a delicious nuttiness to this dish. Shred your own Parmesan cheese so that it easily into the sauce.

How to Make Shrimp Pasta at Home

Boil pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 a cup of pasta water. Add shrimp, Italian seasoning, and garlic to the pan. Stir to coat the shrimp and cook until just opaque.

Use tongs to carefully remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

Add white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the yummy bits off the bottom.

Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese to the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. Add parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add cooked linguine to the pan along with a splash or two of pasta water. Toss to coat.

Add cooked shrimp back into the pan, toss to coat in the sauce, and cook until warm.

Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Tips for Making The Best Shrimp Pasta

• Season the pasta water with salt! Add 2-4 tablespoons Kosher salt to your pot of boiling water before adding the pasta. This is your first chance to season the pasta and will make a huge difference in the overall flavor of the dish. The pasta water should be as salty as the sea!
• Don’t overcook the pasta. Take note of the cooking time recommended on the box and cook the pasta just until al dente.
• Save the pasta water! Reserve about 1/2 a cup of pasta water for tossing the pasta in the sauce. The starch from the pasta water will help to thicken the sauce and help the sauce stick to the noodles.
• If you forget to save the pasta water, it’s not the end of the world. You can use broth or a splash of water. However, once you start saving your pasta water and using it to toss your pasta in sauce, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it!
• Season moderately with salt and pepper! The ingredients for this shrimp pasta are pretty simple which means salt and pepper are going to go a long way in helping to boost all those flavors. Season with salt and pepper each time you add a new ingredient to this shrimp pasta recipe. And then season to taste at the end as well. If you’ve ever wondered why your favorite dishes taste better at a restaurant it’s because they adequately season their food in a way that most people do not at home.

Variations

Feel free to add in your favorites – this recipe is super versatile. Some of our family’s favorite add-ins include:

• diced tomatoes
• sun-dried tomatoes
• chopped baby spinach
• pitted olives
• corn
• sauteed asparagus
• sauteed broccoli

FAQ

What pasta shape goes best with shrimp?

Linguine is my favorite for this shrimp pasta recipe because it’s long and has a great amount of surface area so the creamy sauce can coat it beautifully. Fettuccine, spaghetti, angel hair, and pappardelle are other great options. If you prefer a shorter cut of pasta, I recommend rigatoni, penne, or farfalle.

Can I saute frozen shrimp?

Thawed shrimp will cook much quicker and more evenly. However, you can cook shrimp straight from the freezer. Just be sure to cook the shrimp on both sides until it is opaque.

What size shrimp for pasta?

Medium, large, extra-large, or jumbo will work best for pasta. Smaller shrimp are going to get lost in the noodles. You want the shrimp to be easy enough to eat in a bite or two but not so small that they blend right in with the rest of the dish.

Make-Ahead Instructions

• While this shrimp pasta recipe tastes best when it’s straight from the stove, you can prep a lot of the ingredients ahead of time and measure everything out so that when it comes time to cook you can really easily throw everything together in just minutes.
• If you’re making the pasta ahead of time, toss it in olive oil and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• The Parmesan cheese can also be shredded a few days in advance.

Storing Leftover Shrimp Pasta

Store leftover shrimp pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Reheating Shrimp Pasta

Reheat shrimp pasta in a large saute pan over medium heat. The sauce will thicken as it cools so add a splash of broth or heavy cream to the pan to loosen it up. Cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Try these pasta recipes next!

Print