Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Pasta
So flavorful, so spicy and so easy to put together, perfect for those busy weeknights!
I’ve been somewhat obsessed with skillet dishes. It takes minutes to put together and Jason and I get a kick out of eating it right out of the pan. Hey, we don’t even have a dining table so you could imagine us just shoving our heads together into a skillet on our coffee table. And that’s exactly what happened with this shrimp pasta.
This shrimp pasta comes together so easily with just a handful of pantry ingredients. Just be sure to prepare yourself for a 30 minute marinade. You can even make the marinade the night before so it’s ready to use for dinnertime. Once that’s ready, throw everything into a skillet, add your cooked pasta and that’s it. Done and done. Easy enough, right?
But don’t be fooled by the ease of this recipe. It’s incredibly flavorful and wonderfully spicy. If you’re not a fan of the heat, just cut down on the red pepper flakes. A little bit goes a long way.
Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 ounces penne
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine shrimp and olive oil mixture; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
- In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp and sauce mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan and green onions, if desired.
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Instead of parmesan cheese can i use regular cheese like cheddar?
You can certainly substitute cheddar but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish as further recipe testing is needed. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Thank you for this recipe! My family says that this is by far their favorite dinner that I make.
OMG, awesome!!! Loved it. Thanks!
Looks great! Can I use frozen shrimps? 🙁
Yes, absolutely. Just be sure to defrost the shrimp prior to using.
Can I substitute the soy sauce for teriyaki? That’s my closest option in my refrigerator:)
You can certainly substitute teriyaki sauce but I worry that it may add a little bit of unwanted sweetness to the dish.
My 7 years old daughter absolutely loves this pasta. I did few changes, I used whole wheat penne and no pepper flakes as we don’t like the heat in any food. It was so good which I only few bites as she wanted it for lunch dinner and breakfast. One happy kid. Thank you for sharing the recipes.
Marinating shrimp now but I don’t have red pepper flakes!!! What could I use instead for a little kick?
You can try Sriracha or hot sauce but I worry that this may completely affect the taste/texture of the dish.
What about using cayenne or paprika?
You can certainly use those as well but again, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
Ok thank you. Can’t wait to try it!
I hope it turns out well with the substitution!
Will this be a little dry considering there’s not much sauce?
Nope, not dry at all. You’d be amazed as to how a little bit of sauce goes a very long way!
Made yesterday for my kids, who’ve been begging all week for shrimp. Added 1 heaping (kitchen tsp) of pineapple jam to the marinade also. Threw in some steamed broccoli. Used my ‘what have I already cooked, aliquoted and frozen’ in the freezer Angel hair pasta.
I didn’t get to eat any of it.I saw plates being licked. I was accosted for not having made more. I was begged to make more right that second. I take that to mean it was awesome.
Kudos. Shared recipe with my good friend who claims she can’t cook and that her relatives run screaming if she tries. If she makes this, it will become another in her roster of things that I insist she CAN TOO cook! Cos this is pretty much kitchen disaster-proof!
I didn’t have any soy sauce but used worcester sauce instead. This was great!!!!
Wow! This was fantastic. I’ve always been a huge pasta lover and eat it almost everyday. This was something completely new for me. It reminds me of a scampi but NO butter and no wine. Delicious light, spicy (but not too spicy, I am very sensitive to it) and absolutely fantastic. I always get nervous when i make something new just in case I don’t like it and have to watch my boyfriend choke it down. But i LOVED it and so did he! Will be in my monthly rotation! You’re the best!
This dish has so much flavor and is now one of my favorites! I will definitely be making this again and again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
This is hands down one of mine and my kids favorite!!!delish
Seems pretty healthy right?
Hi there. Making this tonight for my crew at the firehouse. We have 7 guys, should I just double the recipe? Thanks.
It really depends on what you are serving this with, and if they eat more than the average person. You can always triple the recipe to play it on the safe side.
Found your recipe tonight on Pinterest and on a whim made it since I had all the ingredients already. This was so delicious and my dad, stepmom and I had extra helpings. I loved all the flavors together and how easy it was. The only thing I did different was made 1.5 of the sauce instead of doubling it but wanted it saucy and I added Roma tomatoes to the pan while the shrimp and sauce were cooking. I definitely would make this again for guests. Thanks!!
This Pasta is soooo good! I’ve tried it twice now, and nothing has gone wrong!
Made this for dinner and it’s ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I used cayenne pepper instead of chili flakes for extra kick. I was wondering if I can use a different cheese, let’s say pecorino (since it’s also a hard cheese like parmigiano), for this recipe. Thanks! 🙂
Yes, pecorino would be great! I personally love to use a blend or parmesan and pecorino.
Does the final product turn out dry? Would it be ok to substitute some of the olive oil with a white wine?
No, I did not find the final product to be dry. And you can certainly substitute white wine but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is best to use the ingredients list out to obtain the best results possible.
Wow! This was AWESOME!! I added more red pepper (we like it spicy!) and sliced portabella mushrooms saute was out of green onions so skipped those…also used whole grain linguine, so yummy!!! Seriously Fabulous! I only marinated 30 minutes and I can’t imagine it getting better but will give it a go for a few hours next time! Damn delicious for sure! Thanks!