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?
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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!
Garlic, shrimp and pasta are such a perfect combination. You’ve nailed how to blend them all together.
This looks mouth watering. Down south in Louisiana Spring has sprung, but I still want my comfort food. Hope Butters is on the mend. I love the little guys name.
Could the Arugula be left out or would you have to substitute for it? Anything else besides Spinach? Love your site, I’m new to it. Love that the recipes are easy to make & so tasty.
Kale would also work very well in this dish.
Do You think it would be good with Broccoli?, Cause I don’t like Arugala or Spinach.Well I like them but not in this recipe .I would make it the way I think sounds a lot better than the recipe here & My way I would I add Green,Orange,Yellow & Red Bell Peppers Juliened sliced in strips & Garlic in Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a sautee pan until tender & Then add the Shrimp with Butter Garlic Sauce.When that’s all done I’d put over Linguini Sounds good already & Making me hungary .I’ll have 2 Make it sometime this week when I have all the right ingredients 2 Make it. I have most of the ingredients .I have the Linguini ,Garlic Cloves ,Broccoli ,Shrimp ,Freshly Grounded Black Pepper ,Salt & Dried Oregano I’d rather use fresh Oregano & With all the different Bell Peppers would give it a very colorful dish.
Yes, broccoli and bell peppers sounds amazing!
Wow, you come to someone’s recipe to tell them it doesn’t sound good? Then proceed to give your version of it? How about create your own recipe so people can comment on it.
Totally agree with you Mike. Some people change so many things in a recipe that it’s a totally different dish. I think that this dish sounds super just the way Chungah posted it.
Mike, I do agree with you. Granted this a few years removed, but the recipe as is is what I was looking for. The first shrimp scampi I ever had was very much like this, feature the shrimp and pasta, not a lot of extras, that was over 20 years ago. Anytime recently, in the restaurant, disappointed. So hope Chungah is still sharing her recipes
Pasta and shrimp – two of my favorite things! I’ve been following your blog for several months now (lurking, I guess). I love how accessible and doable your recipes are.
Love how you mentioned “lurking”. I thought I was the only one..lol great word for all this online blogging and commenting. Lurking is the pre-cursor.
Oh, Chungah!
This sounds heavenly! You’re right. Shrimp and pasta. What a combination! I can almost taste that garlic buttery goodness topping my fettuccine. Thanks for sharing another winner!
This shrimp has my name all over it! I’ll be spoon feeding myself this today!
¡Esto se ve delicioso! A mi hijo le encantan los mariscos, ni bien consiga camarones se lo prepararé. Me encanta tu blog, Chungah. Lo he recomendado en mi página de facebook (Alamos ventosos), en mi nueva sección #RecomendadosDelSábado.
Lamento no poder escribir en inglés.
¡Buen fin de semana!
Hi! I’m living in Mexico where arugula is virtually non-existent. Can I use spinach or a local green called Chaya in place of it?
Thx.
Spinach would be a great substitute!
I used locaccino kale
Looks so delicious! Love all those juicy shrimp 🙂
Who could resist that garlic butter sauce? Gorgeous!