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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Hi- can cooked frozen shrimp be used?
Yes, absolutely, but I find that it is best to use raw shrimp so that you do not run the risk of overcooking the shrimp. But as always, please use your best judgment.
Looks so delicious! Quick question – can you sub olive oil for some of the butter?
Yes, absolutely.
Pasta and shrimps!!! These are my favorite of all time. I will show this recipe to my mom and let her cook for me.
Anazing recipe! I replaced the Arugula with broccoli! Fast and easy, highly recommend this!
I made this for a MICHIGAN football game party. I threw in some carrots, mushrooms, red onion & a few snap peas for a bit of color. Never have to much garlic!! A winner!
I made this for dinner last night, it was absolutely great!
I simply could not believe how fast and easy this recipe was to make… running short on time I knew my husband wanted shrimp for dinner… I ran across this recipe Perfect combination of ingredients an ‘Instant Hit’… Thank you❤️
loved it
Just made this for my grandma and it was so good! Love the arugula addition. I also threw in some capers and lemon. Thanks!
Made this last night for dinner. Absolutely incredible! So quick and easy. I did use the arugula and the flavor was amazing. I did, however, add 2 extra cloves of garlic and some fresh basil. It was a major hit! Highly recommend this one.
I made this for dinner last night. . Absolutely fantastic. ..i did however add extra garlic and some fresh basil. .. it was a major hit. So easy and quick!
Tried this last night. Fantastic. Everyone loved it. Used spinach instead of arugula. Next time I will also decrease the amount of butter at the end from the 6 tablespoons to 4. A little too much but still very good. When ever I cook something new and the guys love it I am told “it’s a keeper”. As usual, a Damn Delicious recipe is “a keeper”.
Great recipe. Have to try Homemade Garlic Bread with this recipe.
Your recipes are always so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Have made this dish twice and it is a favorite in our house with the hubs and me! Delicious! thanks for the recipe!
i made this using broccoli because it was what I had .. …really good… Thanks
I made this and my family loved it..however I used bak choy and broccoli, that’s what I had still came out great..
Hi, I just wanted to say that I tried this recipe last week and it was absolutely fabulous.
Many thanks 🙂
Chungah, You’ve done it again in my house! This is oh so easy and delicious! Another favorite of mine.
Perfect for busy weeknights! My family would love this!
This pasta looks amazing! My favorite combination ever is seafood and pasta, so I’m in heaven with this dish!