Easy Shrimp Pasta
This shrimp pasta recipe is easy yet elegant! With lemon, garlic and Parmesan cheese, it's full of delicious flavor. I love to make this recipe with long, wide pasta noodles such as fettuccine, but it will work with any pasta shape you enjoy. Serve it with a salad or roasted asparagus, plus bread if you're feeding hearty appetites.
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine French
Servings 4
Calories 432 kcal
- 8 ounces fettuccine pasta or your favorite pasta shape
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined tails removed salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced*
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese* plus more for serving zest of 1 medium lemon juice optional
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste chopped fresh parsley for serving
"Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water (you will not use the full cup, but I find it easy to just scoop out one measuring cup's worth). Drain pasta; do not rinse.
Meanwhile, pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Transfer shrimp to a clean plate and cover to keep warm.
Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the cooked pasta and a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water. Toss to combine. Remove pan from the heat.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, to taste, evenly over the pasta. If you'd like the dish to have more lemon flavor, you can also squeeze in a bit of the juice from the lemon. (I usually do!) Toss to combine.
Add the cooked shrimp and toss to mix it into the pasta. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley and serve."
To thaw frozen shrimp: Place shrimp in a colander set over a bowl and thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator, OR to thaw shrimp quickly, place the frozen shrimp in a bowl of cold water for 10-20 minutes, until thawed. Pat dry with paper towels.
Garlic: If you really love garlic, you can add an extra clove or two.
Parmesan: I highly recommend buying a block of fresh Parmesan and grating it yourself for this recipe. Freshly grated Parmesan will melt into the dish so much better than pre-grated from the store.