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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Used spinach and Gruyere instead of arugula and Parmesan, and it came out DELICIOUS. Will definitely be a recurring dinner meal!
This is delicious, easy and quick to make, and only one pot required, plus a strainer.
I never leave reviews but I had to for this recipe. I made this for dinner tonight and it was easy to throw together and absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
Good and easy. I read the recipe twice thinking I must’ve missed something easy. I used spinach leaves I had instead of arugula. The proof it was good…no leftovers.
This was so good! I used spinach because it’s what I had. Also did half butter, half olive oil! My family loved it! Will definitely be making again!
We made this recipe exactly as it was written. Absolutely delicious! I photographed the end result. It looked like something out of Bon Appetite! Thank you for not only a beautiful dinner,but also an extremely delicious one! We will certainly make this again!
So easy , nourishing, and delicious
Glad you like it!
This was awesome. I added some baby tomatoes and chicken stock. Recipe easy to follow and was my first time making anything like this. Will do again. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you!
Delicious!!
This was delicious!! I did not have any arugula. I used frozen shrimp and penne. My family loved the flavor of the garlic butter! It was quick and easy to make! I highly recommend this recipe!
Chungha, this comment does not apply to a particular recipe, even though I’ve tried many of them and drooled over the rest! I want to comment on the way your recipes print out. The recipes easily print on one (1) sheet of paper! On most sites when I want to print a recipe I have to copy them, transfer to a text processing software and paste. Then after the copy and paste I have to manipulate the text, margins, etc. It’s a pain in the you know where!
So I really like the way your recipes are easily printed. I’m still old school and like to have a printed copy by my work station.
Thanks!
Maria
Thank you for sharing with us, Maria!
Oh my goodness this recipe is so good! Didn’t have arugula on hand so I used baby spinach. I also added coriander, cayenne, smoked paprika and onion powder for a little more depth. Hubs was blown away, thanks so much!
Sounds amazing!
Made it for my family and they loved it, used spinach and it came out great.
Great addition!
Hi I don’t have parmesan cheese on hand but I do have fontina cheese. Will this work, you think?
Casandra, parmesan cheese is truly best for this recipe. But as always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Excellent! I halved some little grape tomatoes and sautéed with withthe garlic added some nice color and flavor:)
Sweet! I bet it was yummy!
Family approved meal! So quick and easy. I used spinach instead of arugula and a little extra parmesan cheese.
That sounds so yummy!
This looks amazing! Could you substitute chicken for shrimp?
Absolutely!
thanks so much for your response! Would you recommend cooking the chicken separately and pouring the sauce over? I’m so excited to try this tonight- I don’t eat seafood but the smell of scampi always gets me! Thanks
Yes, that sounds perfect, Colleen!
I would like to try this recipe. But I am allergic to shrimp. Can I use chicken instead. Or what can I use in place of shrimp.
Hi Glenda, yes you can substitute the shrimp for any other protein you like. However, cooking times may vary with different ingredients, so please use your best judgement when it comes to substitutions and modifications.
I added some drained canned spinach to the end and stirred it in. I was a little hesitant, but it didn’t badly affect the taste at all.
Way to improvise Laura. You never know unless you try. Thanks for sharing!
My son and granddaughter really liked the recipe and suggested making it for the entire family when we’re all together.
That in itself, is a compliment to you and this recipe.
I don’t often get a nod of approval at the dinner table. I respect that he has his own style of cooking but, this was
a great evening for me! I have to admit after cooking for so many years, dinners become routine and slightly on the side of boring; I was concerned about cooking the shrimp. It turned out with a professional presentation. Thank you.