Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
by Chungah
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Garlicky shrimp and fettuccine topped with fresh Parmesan! Quick for busy weeknights but fancy enough for weekend company! So simple so good.
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Why you’ll love this garlic butter shrimp pasta
- 20 minute quick pasta recipe. This dinner comes together so quickly. You can whip up the garlicky, buttery shrimp so fast while your pasta cooks through.
- So comforting, so hearty. We’re talking easy comfort food with quick pan-fried garlicky shrimp, and sneaked in leafy greens (for all the picky eaters), all topped with freshly grated Parmesan. And with wide, long strand fettuccine noodles, we have just enough space to coat all that silky buttery heavenly goodness.
- Perfect for all occasions. With its fast cook time, this restaurant-quality dish is perfect for family during those busy weeknights, for friends and weekend company. Simply dress it up with some crusty bread and a simple side salad – they will be so impressed!
types of shrimp
Wild caught shrimp vs. farmed shrimp
Farmed shrimp are raised in controlled environments, whereas wild caught shrimp have been caught in their natural habitats by fishermen. Wild caught shrimp is generally preferred over farmed shrimp primarily due to taste.
Frozen vs. fresh shrimp
Unless you reside in a coastal area, the “fresh shrimp” on display at your local grocery store have already been previously frozen at sea. Frozen shrimp offers ultimate freshness (flash-frozen as soon as they are caught) and flexibility, using only what you need for dinner. Bottom line, frozen shrimp will taste better and cook better.
How to make garlic butter shrimp pasta
- Boil the pasta. Cook the pasta (use long strand pasta such as fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti) until al dente, draining well.
- Cook the shrimp. While the pasta cooks, season the shrimp with salt and pepper before cooking on a hot cast iron skillet with all the aromatics. Cook in batches if needed – overcrowding the pan will lead to poor searing and chewy, rubbery shrimp!
- Combine everything together. Add the remaining butter, cooked pasta, leafy greens (arugula or spinach), Parmesan and cooked shrimp to the pan.
- Serve. Finish with parsley and an additional sprinkle of Parmesan, if needed.
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 for sneaked-in leafy greens.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
Video
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.
- Working in batches, 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.
Equipment
Notes
- Fresh pasta goes a long way. Use 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.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, use frozen shrimp but avoid the bags with freezer burn. Opt for a quick thaw under cold running water for about 5-10 minutes, drying thoroughly.
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- 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 additions.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I have made this on numerous occasions. My son wants to thank the genius chef who came up with this recipe. Absolutely delicious! Thank you from the both of us.
I made this last night for a family dinner party and it was a HUGE hit with everyone. Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. So glad to have come across this recipe, thanks!
We made it tonight, and it was… orgasmic!!!
Thank you very much for this recipe!
I made this recipe tonight and it was very tasty! There were some comments about substituting argula with other greens, such as spinach or kale. But honestly the argula gave the meal a distinct flavor. So good! Thanks!
What about grilling the shrimp Cajun style to make it a little spicy then mixing it into the sauce? I am just thinking of ways to make this dish a little spicy!
That sounds amazing!
Love this recipe! I made a double batch for a party and then made it again since everyone ate it up. Just be aware that the crushed red pepper can give it quite a bite. I loved it, but my son who does not like hot spice did not.
This is an amazing recipe! By far my favorite for shrimp. Even made “shrimp believers” out of my folks when I had them for dinner!
Found this recipe on pinterest and cooked as one of my dishes. My husband loved it. Had seconds and asked for it to be part of our weekly menu. Mind you he never liked pasta without tomato sauce before. I use kale instead of arugula. I’m not a big fan of cooking but thank you so much. I can’t mess this up.
Kid you not- I didn’t have any shrimp or leafy green very ke and it was still delicious!
what is the substitute for crushed red pepper flakes and dried oregano..?
You can omit the red pepper flakes and substitute other herbs for the oregano. Hope that helps!
We used cayenne instead.
I made this tonight and we loved it! Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe!
This might be a silly question, but I haven’t cooked with shrimp before- would you recommend leaving the tails on or take them off? Does it matter? Thanks!
You can leave them on or off – it’s up to you.
We are a culture that loves to acquire more and more. We like to shop for ourselves and we like to shop for others.
Throwing in some red and yellow peppers. because they rock and are on sale.
This reciepe was to die for! I used all of the ingredients as required. I added an extra bit of a kick by adding more of the crushed red pepper,and extra minced garlic. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This sounds delicious! I want to make it for dinner tonight but I don’t have any Parmesan. Could I use shredded mozzarella instead? Also could I use mushrooms instead of the arugula?
Yes, absolutely.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I tend to veer away from making any seafood pasta or any seafood in general, but this one was really easy and simple to follow. I ended up using spinach instead of arugula and I thought it was just as delicious! Thanks again for this wonderful recipe!
I made this for dinner on sunday ( I ate it all :-S) Then made another pot on Monday for my co-workers to try. I know they will love it just as much as I did. I had had a hard time finding arugula in the grocery stores here. One store employee told me to find arugula in the spice aisle **cough Walmart cough cough**
Luckily, I was able to find it at another store in the organic form.
Yummy and easy recepie. Thank you!
We found it in the prewashed salad area in plastic containers.
Made this last night. OMG!!!! Absolutely Wonderful!!!! Thank you!!!!!
Awesome recipe. But I was out of shrimp so I used Louis Kemp Crab Delights and also did not have any arugula or parsley so I used Edamame (soy beans) to give it some color. Very yummy.
I made this last week and it was WONDERFUL. I found the recipe to be easy to follow and it came together quickly. I thought the proportions of everything were spot on. I had a hard time finding arugula; I see several suggestions for kale and spinach as alternatives so I need to remember that. Seriously, this was so good. It beats any dish I’d have at a restaurant. Thank you!