Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta (Easy 28-Minute Dinner)
Make dinner fast with this Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta! This easy, flavor-packed pasta combines juicy shrimp, fresh tomatoes, and a rich garlic butter sauce tossed with tender noodles. The result is a simple and satisfying garlic butter shrimp pasta that comes together in under 28 minutes—perfect for busy weeknights.
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Note: If you love light pasta dishes, be sure to also check out our Quick Cream Cheese Pasta and Lemon Garlic Pasta dishes.
Why We Love This Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Quick and simple– Like all of our recipes, this shrimp and linguini recipe can be made in 28 minutes or less.
- Bursting with flavor! The grape tomatoes and red pepper flakes give this dish a unique pop of flavor that you won’t be able to get enough of!
- Always a hit– Both the adults and kids in our house love this recipe!
Light and summery! This dish is fairly light, depending on how much butter and parmesan you decide to use . It’s perfect for a summer gathering with friends or family.
🛒 Ingredients
Notes on ingredients below. A full list of ingredients and quantities is available in the recipe card.
Pasta– we prefer a longer noodle, like linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti or angel hair.
Butter– a key ingredient for sure, but adjust the amount as you see fit.
Garlic– fresh or jarred is fine, so long as it’s minced or finely chopped!
Shrimp– shelled & deveined, fresh or frozen. [See tips on thawing frozen shrimp below]
Red pepper flakes– optional, but we love the added spice!
Parmesan cheese– shredded or finely grated.
Parsley– dried or fresh is fine. Dried: 1 Tablespoon. Fresh (chopped): 3 Tablespoons
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Cook pasta, setting aside ½ cup of pasta water once pasta is done.
Step 2:Cook shrimp in butter with garlic, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper until cooked through.
Step 3:Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning and spinach, and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4:Combine shrimp mixture with the pasta. And stir in parmesan, parsley, pasta water and milk, cooking another 3-5 minutes until warmed throughout.
💭 Tips for Perfect Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Pasta al dente!!! We highly recommend cooking pasta al dente because your pasta will cook a few minutes more when combined with shrimp and sauce.
- Avoid pasta sticking! If your pasta is ready way before the shrimp mixture, rinse the cooked pasta in cold water in a strainer right away to avoid sticking.
- How to best defrost frozen shrimp: Place shrimp in a colander in the sink and run cold water over them for 10-15 minutes.
- Dry your shrimp! Dab thawed shrimp dry before cooking to remove excess moisture, which can impact searing.
- When is shrimp done? Overcooked shrimp can be chewy…yuk. Shrimp is fully cooked when it has an opaque, pinky color.
- For softer tomatoes…Add them to the pot earlier, when cooking the shrimp.
Picky Eater Tips for Shrimp Pasta
- Keep it mild. If your kids don’t like spicy food, simply omit the red pepper flakes. Garlic also brings some heat and strong taste to the dish. So, consider cutting back on the garlic too.
- Serve raw tomatoes. Some kids may not like the texture of soft, cooked tomatoes. If that’s the case, set some raw tomatoes aside to serve as a side veggie for your kiddos.
- Set aside some plain noodles. My kids loved the shrimp but didn’t like “all the stuff” on the noodles – I think they were referring to the parsley, lol! You may want to set aside some plain noodles before you mix everything together. Pull some shrimp pieces out of the final mix and serve them next to the plain noodles on your kids’ plates. Then, you can let the kids sprinkle parmesan on everything.
Plan dinners more easily with our Platein28 Picky Eater Dinner Planner.
❓FAQs
We prefer to make this shrimp and noodle recipe with a longer pasta, like linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti or angel hair pasta. However, any pasta you enjoy should work!
There are several ways to quickly defrost shrimp. According to A Couple of Cooks, frozen shrimp can be quickly thawed by placing shrimp in a large bowl of cold water for 15-20 minutes, occasionally stirring away clumps of ice. You can also place shrimp in a colander and run cold water over it for the same amount of time.
This pasta dish is great on its own, but a small salad or slice of garlic bread would pair nicely with the meal.
We recommend making this fresh — shrimp becomes rubbery when reheated and the garlic butter sauce loses its silky texture. That said leftovers keep for up to 2 days in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of pasta water to restore the sauce consistency.
Craft For This Recipe
Shrimp Art
Kids can learn to draw a shrimp with pasta with this adorable craft! Turns out, noodles make great shrimp legs! Grab some paper, glue, markers and dry noodles…and get crafting!
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🦐 Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 1 pound linguine pasta
- 3-4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp (shelled & deveined, fresh or frozen)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes ((optional))
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 – 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2-3 big handfuls fresh raw baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded or grated (+ extra for plating)
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Heat water for pasta in large pot, and add 1 tsp of salt to the water. Once boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions. Once pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside. Then strain pasta and pour back in pot.
- While the water is boiling, melt butter into a large pan and heat on low-to-medium until butter has melted. Stir in shrimp, garlic, red pepper flakes and season with pepper and remaining tsp of salt. Cook shrimp until pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning and spinach, and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer shrimp mixture into the pot with the pasta and stir in parmesan, parsley, pasta water and milk. Heat another 3-5 minutes on low, until warmed throughout.
Video
Notes
- Cook your pasta al dente because it will cook a few minutes more when combined with shrimp and sauce, anyway.
- IF your pasta is ready way before the shrimp mixture, rinse the cooked pasta in cold water in a strainer right away to avoid sticking.
- To defrost frozen shrimp: place shrimp in a colander in the sink and run cold water over them for 10-15 minutes.
- Dab thawed shrimp dry before cooking to remove excess moisture, which can impact searing.
- When is shrimp done? Overcooked shrimp can be chewy…yuk. Shrimp is fully cooked when it has an opaque, pinky color.
- For softer tomatoes…add them to the pot earlier, when cooking the shrimp.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Categories:
28 Minute Recipes, Main Dishes, Pasta and Rice Recipes, Seafood, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes,
