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    Home » Pasta

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    By Emmeline Kemperyd on July 16, 2023, updated September 6, 2023 - 2 Comments

    Total time: 12 minutes minutes
    Prep time: 2 minutes minutes
    5 from 2 votes
    Jump to Recipe
    Garlic butter shrimp pasta.

    This 15-minute Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta is an irresistible combination of tender shrimp, al dente pasta, and flavorful garlic butter sauce. Follow this simple recipe to create an effortless meal that blends the best of seafood and pasta into a delicious dish the whole family will love.

    Garlic butter shrimp pasta.
    Jump to:
    • Why you will love this recipe
    • What you need to make Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
    • How to make Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
    • Tips & tricks
    • Recipe FAQ
    • Variations on this recipe
    • More 15-minute pasta recipes
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    If you love shrimp, then this will be your new favorite pasta dish. It's basically my Shrimp Scampi - but served with pasta. All the amazing shrimp scampi flavor, in a delicious dinner package.

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    Why you will love this recipe

    • It's quick and done in under 15 minutes
    • It's easy with a few simple steps
    • Flavor packed with garlic, paprika and chili
    • Perfectly cooked shrimp and I'll teach you how to cook them just right
    • A little bit spicy - if that's something you like
    • An easy weeknight dinner that's tasty enough for company!

    What you need to make Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    Ingredients for garlic butter shrimp pasta.

    Ingredient notes & substitutions

    • Shrimp should be peeled, and I prefer to remove the tail for easy eating. You can use raw or pre-cooked shrimp.
    • Fresh parsley is mainly decorative. Frozen parsley also works!
    • Butter and olive oil: you can use just one of them as well, just double the amount. Olive oil can be swapped for a neutral cooking oil.
    • Fresh lemon juice: don't use the bottled kind. If you don't have any, better to go for white wine vinegar instead.
    • Spaghetti can be swapped for another long pasta type like tagliatelle, linguini or angel hair pasta
    • Chili flakes (red pepper flakes) can be omitted to keep it mild, or use more/less for a more/less spicy version
    • Chicken stock cube & water can be swapped for homemade chicken broth in the same amount as the water

    How to make Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    Collage showing how to make Garlic butter shrimp pasta.
    1. Sauté garlic in butter and olive oil
    2. Add chicken stock and spices and simmer to thicken
    3. Add shrimp
    4. Cook until pink on both sides
    Collage showing how to make Garlic butter shrimp pasta.
    1. Add lemon juice
    2. Mix in cooked pasta and pasta water
    3. Top with parsley
    4. Mix, and serve!

    Tips & tricks

    • Don't allow the garlic to brown - you want a soft, nice, garlic flavor
    • Don't overcook the shrimp - they're done as soon as they are pink and opaque through, and they will keep cooking after you add the pasta and sauce
    • Store leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days
    • Reheat leftoves in the microwave in 1 minute increments
    • I don't recommend freezing leftovers as the consistency of the sauce will be ruined
    Garlic butter shrimp pasta.

    Recipe FAQ

    How can I quickly defrost shrimp?

    To defrost shrimp really quickly, you can soak them in cold water for 10 minutes. However, this will also remove a lot of the shrimp flavor.

    My preferred method for quickly defrosting shrimp is to spread them out on a plate in room temperature for 1 hour. After 1 hour, there will still be ice around the shrimp - but the shrimp itself will be thawed. At this point I peel off the ice with my fingers, and then pat the shrimp dry.

    How do I clean and devein shrimp?

    Deveining shrimp or not a matter of preference, and I never do it. If you do want to do it, use a small, sharp, knife, and slice into the bottom of the shrimp, on top of the dark vein. Use the knife to remove the vein, wipe the knife clean, and then proceed to the next one.

    How to prepare pre cooked shrimp for pasta?

    If using pre cooked shrimp you just need them to really heat up, so you can just sear them 1 minute per side, and then add the pasta.

    Variations on this recipe

    There are many ways to vary this recipe:

    • Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta: Add lemon zest and more lemon juice
    • Add cherry tomatoes for a bright pop of flavor
    • Add asparagus, zucchini or baby spinach for extra flavor and greens
    • Top with Parmesan cheese or Pecorino cheese for a cheesy meal
    • Serve with Garlic Roasted Broccoli - it's a great combo!
    Garlic butter shrimp pasta.

    More 15-minute pasta recipes

    Looking for more 15-minute pasta recipes like this Garlic Shrimp Pasta recipe?

    • Spicy Sausage Pasta
    • Tortellini Carbonara
    • Lemon Ricotta Pasta
    • Fried Spaghetti with Chicken & Green Curry
    • Smoked Salmon Pasta with Spinach & Lemon

    Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
    ...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.

    Recipe

    Garlic butter shrimp pasta.

    Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta

    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: North American
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 463kcal
    Prep time: 2 minutes mins
    Cook time: 10 minutes mins
    Total time: 12 minutes minutes
    Author: Emmeline Kemperyd
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 2 servings pasta reserve the pasta cooking water
    • ¼ cup pasta cooking water
    • ½ lb jumbo shrimp peeled, raw or pre-cooked
    • ½ cup boiling water
    • ¼ chicken stock cube
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • ½ teaspoon fine table salt
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika powder
    • ¼ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes or more or less, according to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
    • ¼ cup chopped parsley
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Cook the pasta in a large pot in heavily salted water, until al dente, about 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water before you drain it.
      2 servings pasta
    • Dissolve the chicken stock cube in the boiling water and set aside for now.
      ½ cup boiling water, ¼ chicken stock cube
    • Heat and melt butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
      2 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • When the butter is melted, add minced garlic. Sauté 1 minute without the garlic browning, lower the heat if necessary.
      2 garlic cloves
    • Add the chicken stock, salt, paprika powder, chili flakes and black pepper. Simmer 2 minutes until thickened.
      ¼ teaspoon paprika powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon fine table salt
    • Add the shrimp and cook for 1- 2 minutes until both outsides of the shrimp are pink (if using raw shrimp) or 1 minute per side if using pre-cooked shrimp.
      ½ lb jumbo shrimp
    • Turn off the heat and mix in lemon juice and parsley. Mix well!
      1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, ¼ cup chopped parsley
    • Add pasta and pasta cooking water, toss to coat, and simmer 1 minute. Then serve.
      ¼ cup pasta cooking water

    Equipment (may contain affiliate links)

    • Garlic press*
    • Chopping board*
    • Kitchen knife*
    • Measuring cups (metric or US)*
    • Measuring spoons*
    • Skillet or frying pan*
    • Large pot*

    Video

    Notes

     

    Ingredient notes & substitutions

    • Shrimp should be peeled, and I prefer to remove the tail for easy eating. You can use raw or pre-cooked shrimp.
    • Butter and olive oil: you can use just one of them as well, just double the amount. Olive oil can be swapped for a neutral cooking oil.
    • Fresh lemon juice: don't use the bottled kind. If you don't have any, better to go for white wine vinegar instead.
    • Pasta: spaghetti or any other long pasta type like angel hair or tagliatelle
    • Chili flakes can be omitted to keep it mild, or use more/less for a more/less spicy version
    • Chicken stock cube & water can be swapped for homemade chicken stock in the same amount as the water
     

    Tips & tricks

    • Don't allow the garlic to brown - you want a soft, nice, garlic flavor
    • Don't overcook the shrimp - they're done as soon as they are pink and opaque through, and they will keep cooking after you add the pasta and sauce
    • Store leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days
    • Reheat leftoves in the microwave in 1 minute increments
    • I don't recommend freezing leftovers as the consistency of the sauce will be ruined

    Nutrition

    Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 1445mg | Potassium: 333mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1385IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 2mg

    Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.

    Did you make this? Tag me today!Tag @alwaysusebutter and use the hashtag #alwaysusebutter!

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      Gorgonzola Tortellini Casserole With Walnuts
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      Buffalo Mac and Cheese
    • Ravioli casserole.
      No-Boil Ravioli Casserole
    • Steak pasta casserole.
      Cheesy Steak Pasta Casserole

    About Emmeline Kemperyd

    Emmeline Kemperyd is a writer, food blogger, recipe creator and food photographer and the founder of alwaysusebutter.com. She has 20+ years experience creating and simplifying recipes so they taste good, and are quick, easy, and approachable. She is a regular contributor to MSN and her work has been featured by The Guardian, Well+Good, Vulture, SheKnows, Good Men Project, and The Feed Feed, among others.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gail Korolewski McKelvey

      October 17, 2024 at 1:08 pm

      Oh, yum! The butter shrimp pasta looks soooo good. Can't wait to try it.

      Now...on butter, a friend and I were at a talk about eating healthy and we were told that margarine is one molecule away from plastic and butter is one molecule away from blood! Have not used anything but butter since and that has been probably 30 years! And...it made my farmer Dad happy!

      Reply
      • Emmeline Kemperyd

        October 18, 2024 at 4:56 am

        Hi Gail! Now that's kinda how I feel about butter as well 🙂 Not to mention, it tastes so much better!! /Emmeline

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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