Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
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An easy peasy pasta dish that’s simple, flavorful and hearty. And all you need is 20 min to whip this up!
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Spring is here and it’s all about staying in, wearing your favorite sweatpants and cooking up some major comfort food. Specifically, 20 min quick comfort food with al dente pasta, quick pan-fried garlicky shrimp, and sneaked in greens, all topped with freshly grated Parmesan.
And let me share with you again – this comes together lightening fast. You can whip up the garlicky, buttery shrimp so quickly while your pasta cooks through. And with wide, long strand fettuccine noodles, we have just enough space to coat all that silky buttery heavenly goodness.
It’s the most perfect quick and easy dinner – for family, for friends, for company. All of the above. It’s all just so so good.
tips and tricks for success
- Fresh pasta goes a long way. We love using homemade pasta whenever possible as it is much smoother and silkier (and cooks much faster than store-bought!).
- Use high-quality shrimp. Medium or large wild-caught shrimp are much more meatier and juicier than farm-raised shrimp.
- Long strand-like pasta is ideal. Fettuccine is a great pasta to use because it holds up sauce very well. Linguine, spaghetti or angel hair pasta are also good options.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Arugula, spinach, kale, collard greens or swiss chard are all great options.
what to serve with shrimp pasta
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta: Frequently Asked Questions
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture (so they can brown nicely and evenly).
Fresh or dried long strands of pasta such as fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti will all work very well.
Absolutely! You can substitute thyme or rosemary (dried or fresh!) or any other herb of your choosing. And because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Baby spinach and kale are both nutrient-rich and great alternatives.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups baby arugula or spinach
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Stir in pasta, arugula and Parmesan until arugula begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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My son and granddaughter really liked the recipe and suggested making it for the entire family when we’re all together.
That in itself, is a compliment to you and this recipe.
I don’t often get a nod of approval at the dinner table. I respect that he has his own style of cooking but, this was
a great evening for me! I have to admit after cooking for so many years, dinners become routine and slightly on the side of boring; I was concerned about cooking the shrimp. It turned out with a professional presentation. Thank you.
First of all….. I made this and it was AMAZING!!! This is like the 3rd recipe of yours that I have tried and they have all been amazing!!! Please stop!!! I love to cook and share my food but I can’t keep up at this rate!! You are an incredible chef! Thank you so much for sharing such beauty!!
I went back through all the comments & Did not see mine there & I went very slow 2 Make sure I did not miss it & Then double checked & Still did not see what I shared.
How long does it take Be for it’s Moderated? Just wondering.
Hi Michelle. I receive over 200+ comments a day so it takes anywhere from 24-48 hours for all comments to be moderated. Thank you for your patience!
What other meats could I use to substitute the shrimp? Would chicken breasts be good enough?
Chicken breasts would be a great substitute.
My son and granddaughter really liked the recipe and suggested making it for the entire family when we’re all together.
That in itself, is a compliment to you and this recipe.
I don’t often get a nod of approval at the dinner table. I respect that he has his own style of cooking but, this was
a great evening for me! I have to admit after cooking for so many years, dinners become routine and slightly on the side of boring; I was concerned about cooking the shrimp. It turned out with a professional presentation. Thank you.
I made this tonight and it is delicious!! Doubled recipe for leftovers. Finicky hubs raved about it. I highly recommend. I didn’t have arugula so just used parsley. Flavors are perfect. Thank you for posting.
Amazing. Even though I haven’t cooked yet.
This is a phenomenal recipe! I had to substitute with PC frozen jumbo shrimp but made it exactly according to your directions..,amazing! I’m positively humming with garlic. I’ve just finished cleaning up and I’m now happily tottering over to my couch to have my heart attack from all of that gorgeous butter. Love, love, LOVE!
First of all….. I made this and it was AMAZING!!! This is like the 3rd recipe of yours that I have tried and they have all been amazing!!! Please stop!!! I love to cook and share my food but I can’t keep up at this rate!! You are an incredible chef! Thank you so much for sharing such beauty!!
Try using royal reds if you can find them instead of the browns. They come from deeper water and taste almost like lobster.
After finding this recipe on Pinterest I made this for dinner tonight it was amazing! Will definitely be making it again.
My 19yo son made this for dinner tonight as he is home this summer from college. It was a huge hit with everyone. He had to substitute cayenne pepper for the chili flakes, but it was still very tasty. He served it with garlic bread and doubled the recipe for five of us. Honestly, we did not have any leftovers. It was indulgent b/c of the butter, but sinfully delicious!!! Thank you!
Made this – delish and super easy!!! I made a couple of adjustments – used broccoli instead of arugula; seasoned the shrimp with adobo seasoning with lemon pepper seasoning; and cooked the pasta in chicken broth. (Sorry, I know – its annoying when people say they made it and don’t follow the recipe haha) Warning – the shrimp cooks pretty fast so make sure you keep an eye on it!
I am going to try this tonight but without any greens because I don’t have any arugul and I don’t like spinach. I hope it’s as good as it looks.
Do you have to use fresh shrimp or can you heat precooked shrimp in the garlic?
I recommend using uncooked shrimp.
Made this for my family last night and everybody LOVED it. My 3 year ate two bowls of it! Wonderful recipe!
Followed instructions but the pasta was dry. Any suggestions?
Did you have enough sauce?
Made this for dinner and oh so good. Thank you.
https://karidestarifi.com/karides-tava/tereyaginda-sarimsakli-karidesli-makarna
please check this website. its your photos and your recipe in turkish. i dont know they get your permission or not but as an architect i’m obsessive about plagiarism.
Thank you for letting me know!
I would very much love to make this but I cannot have butter or margarine. Do you think avacado oil would work?
Yes!