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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Can you send the recipe for easy quick shrimp fettuccino
What a great dish. Easy to make and so flavorful. Will be making it again and again.
Can olive oil be used instead of butter? If so how much olive oil?
Wll be over in 8hrs. Coming over from across the pond in UK. It looks completely yummy. Will also bring nice wine. Ok?
This was excellent. I added mushrooms and substituted spinach.
Very delicious, I did use spinach instead as well and a splash of lemon..
I pretty much never leave comments on recipes, but this was so incredibly delicious I absolutely had to join in the rave reviews! The great thing about this is it’s amazing as is, but if you have some asparagus laying around, throw it in. Corn? Put that in there! Grape tomatoes? Heck yeah! What if you have chicken, but not shrimp? No problem! I added a squeeze of lemon and it was a great addition. And it was was so to clean up after! Will make this again and again.
I made this tonight and it is a keeper! So full of flavor and delicious! I doubled the garlic and substituted spinach for the arugula. Yummy!
So good! My whole family ate it up! Even the littles. Loved the little hint of spice! I doubled for my large family and it turned out great!
This was sooo delicious .. I used Butter and Olive oil with spinach, cilantra, arugula and zest of lemon. Wow what flavor!!
This recipe was sooo delicous!! Used both spinach and Arugla..
Sooooo good! I add spinach instead of arugula and use farfalle instead of fettuccine. This is a dinner and it seems kind of gourmetish!
You can also add sauted baby bella mushrooms.
The leftovers heat up nicely – just add a few sprinkles of water and pop in the microwave! Prop up your feet and enjoy your latest binge show!
Can you use olive oil instead of butter?
WOW! This is so good. And so fast. My wife and I both loved it.
Amazing just a tip DON’T OVERCOOK THE GALIC
Made this dish for dinner tonight. It was absolutely delicious! My husband told me three times how good it was! Thank you!
Oh my!! Simply AMAZING! Added 1/2 lemon. Can’t wait to make again!
Love this one! I’ve made it with shrimp and other times chicken. Either way it’s a winner!
My daughter loves this recipe and regularly ask for it. it is so simple and quick. I do substitute the arugula for broccoli which I sauté before hand with garlic and leave off the red pepper.
What I love about pasta is, you can be as creative as you want because in the end your the one who has to eat it…
About this recipe it gave me idea’s like oregano & red crushed pepper , when I got done it was just wonderful. Put it right to the top of my list.