Shrimp Pasta Recipe
Make this quick shrimp pasta with garlic, butter, and parmesan. A comforting weeknight dinner that’s creamy, flavorful, and ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti
- 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup chicken broth or white wine for extra depth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional, for heat
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Cook the pasta (8–10 minutes): Boil a large pot of salted water, cook pasta until al dente, then drain and set aside. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
- Sauté shrimp (4–5 minutes): Heat olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook until pink and opaque (2 minutes per side). Remove shrimp and set aside.
- Make the sauce (5 minutes): In the same skillet, melt remaining butter. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir in chicken broth and simmer 2 minutes.
- Add cream & cheese (3–4 minutes): Lower heat, stir in cream and parmesan. Cook until sauce thickens slightly. Add red pepper flakes if using.
- Combine (2 minutes): Return shrimp to skillet. Toss in pasta, adding reserved pasta water a splash at a time until desired consistency.
- Finish & serve (2 minutes): Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot with extra parmesan.
Notes
- Don’t overcook shrimp—2 minutes per side is enough.
- Use fresh parmesan for the smoothest sauce.
- Reserve pasta water to help adjust sauce consistency.
- Cream sauces don’t freeze well, so store only in the fridge.
- For a lighter version, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.