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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Great authentic taste–delish! Easy to make. BUT, did you use raw shrimp or cooked shrimp?
OMG So good. I added mushrooms peppers and some peas. We don’t care for arugula. We will definitely be making this again
I was looking for a recipe that would call for ingredients I already had in the house when I came upon this one. I see this recipe was originally posted five+ years ago, but it looks like others are just now discovering it, too–and praising it!
Boy, was this a good dish! Not too complicated, but felt like a more sophisticated recipe. And so versatile! I happened to have arugula on hand, but practically any greens would do–spinach, tuscan kale, beet, whatever. Next time, I’m trying broccoli or broccolini florets!
The shrimp, too, could be subbed out with (pre-cooked) chicken, or even fried or baked tofu, for a Meatless Monday meal. I’ll also read through other reviewers’ ideas to get a new spin on it.
This one is definitely going into my gold-star recipe folder to make again and again! Thanks for posting it!
Kathleen
Love it , It is much nicer then the scampi recipes I’ve made . Because it uses less garlic . The arugula adds a nice touch . I squeezed a touch of fresh lemon juice on the shrimp after I cooked them. I scaled the recipe down to make it for one . It was still delicious. Will definitely make this again. A keeper !!
How many servings with this recipe?
The recipe yields 4 servings. Hope that helps, David! 🙂
This is my fourth time making this Damn Delicious recipe:) It is absolutely fantastic! Today I decided to “lighten” it up a bit by substituting Chardonnay for 1/2 of the butter and it was equally amazing. In addition, I added a handful of cherry tomatoes when I added the arugula for a pop of color and end of summer taste. Highly recommend this recipe as is or lightened up if that is your jam.
Made this today for the first time and let me say…..first of many!!
It’s so flavorful and delicious and just what I was going for when I wanted a light airy delicious dish! I’m already excited thinking about adding other meats and greens!
This was quick, easy, and so very delicious! I’m definitely adding this a regular to our family’s favorite meals!
Great recipe, easy and quick to prepare. Delicious!!!
Amazing….this was something differently di
Just made this tonight and it was like everyone is saying, crazy delicious and full of flavor. I didn’t have oregano so I substituted thyme, still turned out great! So glad I found this blog and can’t wait to try more quick & simple recipes!
This was really good. I’ll make it again
My husband and I are newlyweds and this recipe was perfect for someone who doesn’t know how to cook(me)!!! He loved it and I loved it, and left him asking for more! Would it be insane to add sour cream to the pasta?
This is the first time I made this dish, and it was soooo delicious !! I added fresh mushrooms and I topped it with mozzarella cheese. Will definitely make again !! 🙂
quick & easy meal, full of flavor, Will definitely make again
Easy and delicious. I cut the jumbo shrimp into smaller pieces, and used an incredible Pappardelle garlic noodle. No leftovers!
This was great
This dish was easy to cook and tasted amazing! My husband has claimed it as one on his favorites.
I won’t make this too often because of the amount of butter used but it will be on our meal rotation moving forward!!
Quick and easy. Used olive oil + 1 pat of butter to sautés shrimp for health. Did not have arugula on hand so substituted baby peas into the water 3 min before draining pasta. Worked fine. Great recipe and DamnDelishous. First time but I’ll look you up again. Thank you.