• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Platein28
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Crafts
  • Screen Time
  • Blog
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Crafts
  • Screen Time
  • Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipe Box

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    Published: Apr 30, 2018 · Modified: Jun 26, 2022 by Marcie Groller · This post may contain affiliate links

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    shrimp and tomato pasta on plate

    Our Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta is the PERFECT, summery weeknight meal. Packed with flavor, this dish is simple, delicious and can be made in 28 minutes or less!

    Note: If you love shrimp, be sure to also check out our Shrimp with Corn in Creamy Poblano Sauce, Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus and our Garlic Shrimp with Chickpeas over Quinoa.

    shrimp and garlic pasta on white plate
    Jump to:
    • 👍 Why We Love this Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
    • 🛒 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 💭 Tips and Tricks
    • 👶🏼 Customize for Picky Eaters
    • ❓FAQs
    • ✂️ Make a Shrimp Craft!
    • 🍽 Other Dishes You May Like
    • 🦐 Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    👍 Why We Love this Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    Quick and simple- Like all of our recipes, this shrimp pasta 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

    ingredients for shrimp pasta

    Notes on ingredients:

    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. Kid Step: Taste! Ask kids to taste the noodles to check and see if they're done cooking.

    Step 2:Cook shrimp in butter with garlic, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper until cooked through. Kid Step: Stir shrimp and watch it turn pink as it cooks!

    Step 3:Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning and spinach, and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Kid Step: Kids scoop up the spinach, crunch it in your hands and distribute in pan. Watch how fast it cooks down as you stir!

    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. Kid Step: Measure and stir in cheese. Little ones will love tasting the cheese during the process.

    linguine in tongs
    seasoned raw shrimp in pan
    shrimp with tomatoes and spinach
    shrimp, cheese and veggies

    Note: If you want to learn to draw a shrimp with pasta, set aside a few uncooked noodles before you start cooking for this fun craft.

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes in pot

    💭 Tips and Tricks

    • 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.

    👶🏼 Customize for Picky Eaters

    🍅 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.

    closeup of shrimp pasta on white plate

    ❓FAQs

    What is the best pasta for this dish?

    We prefer to make this dish with a longer pasta, like linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti or angel hair pasta. However, any pasta you enjoy should work!

    How can I quickly defrost frozen shrimp?

    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. 

    What can you serve with garlic butter shrimp pasta?

    This pasta dish is great on its own, but a small salad or slice of garlic bread would pair nicely with the meal.

    How can I store and reheat this shrimp dish?

    This dish is best served straight away. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

    ✂️ Make a Shrimp Craft!

    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!

    drawing of shrimp with pasta feet

    🍽 Other Dishes You May Like

    • 35 Easy Italian Sausage Recipes for Dinner
    • One Pot Lemon Garlic Pasta
    • Delicious, Simple Recipe for Pesto Pasta
    • The Best Spinach Pesto Recipe

    Follow Platein28 on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook and Sign up for our newsletter for all the latest recipes and crafts!

    shrimp and garlic pasta on white plate
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe Share on Facebook

    🦐 Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    Author: Marcie & Julie
    Our Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes is simple, delightful and so delicious! The tomatoes add an amazing burst of flavor, too!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time23 mins
    Total Time28 mins
    Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine: Americanized Italian, Italian
    Servings: 6

    Ingredients

    • 2 teaspoons salt divided
    • 1 pound linguine pasta
    • 3-4 Tablespoons butter
    • 1 ½ pounds raw shrimp shelled & deveined, fresh or frozen
    • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
    • ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 - 2 pints grape tomatoes
    • ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 2-3 big handfuls fresh raw baby spinach
    • 1 ½ cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded or grated + extra for plating
    • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
    • ¼ cup milk

    Instructions

    • Heat water for pasta in large pot, and add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Once boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions. Once pasta is done, reserve ½ 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 teaspoon 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. 
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 460.3kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 64g (21%)Protein: 18.6g (37%)Fat: 14.4g (22%)Saturated Fat: 7.9g (49%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 38mg (13%)Sodium: 1276.1mg (55%)Potassium: 442.5mg (13%)Fiber: 3.7g (15%)Sugar: 4.7g (5%)Vitamin A: 1181.2IU (24%)Vitamin C: 11.6mg (14%)Calcium: 270.6mg (27%)Iron: 1.6mg (9%)

    *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a WordPress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @Platein28 or tag #platein28!

    Want more 28-minute recipes? Sign up and get recipes straight to your inbox!

    You May Also Like

    • Reasons Why Your Steak Is Coming Out Tough and Chewy
    • Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan & Lemon
    • The 10 Best Sliders for Kids (Quick and Simple!)
    • Hot Dogs in Crescent Rolls

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!

    Julie & Marcie in kitchen

    We are two sisters with young kids who want to help simplify mealtime for busy families! Platein28 is our family’s unofficial guide to wading through mealtime chaos. Here you will find quality recipes that take 28 minutes or less, with activities to occupy your kids so you can actually cook.

    More about us →

    Winter Recipes

    • Coconut Curry Recipe for Kids
    • 10 Easy Ground Turkey Soups (30 minutes!)
    • Creamy Vegetable Pasta
    • Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe
    • Easy Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms
    • The Best One Pot Lasagna Soup

    Popular Recipes

    • Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe
    • Easy Cinnamon Pancakes with Vanilla
    • Creamy Chicken Pea Skillet with Rice (One Pan!)
    • How to Cut Carrot Sticks
    • The Easiest Turkey Burger Sliders
    • Best Philly Cheesesteak Recipe

    Kids Crafts & Activities

    • Fun with Melting Crayons on Pumpkins
    • Fun with Melting Crayons in the Oven
    • How to Dye Pasta for Crafts
    • Adorable DIY Fish Puppet
    • Cow-Themed Tissue Paper Vase
    • Adorable Mushroom Craft for Kids

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About Platein28
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Graphics courtesy of Fred Chao

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    Have comments or questions?

    Send us an email!


    We earn a commission through purchases made through partner and affiliate sites.

    Copyright © 2020-2022 Platein28 on the Foodie Pro Theme

    We use cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to use this site, you consent tocookiesbeing used. Visit our Privacy Policy for more information.
    ACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT