Shrimp Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This classic shrimp pasta recipe cooks in minutes and will totally satisfy your dinner cravings! Juicy shrimp in a light garlic butter sauce with fresh tomatoes feels perfect for an easy elevated meal or date night at home. Don’t miss a single drop of the savory sauce!
Shrimp pasta! My old-school Italian-American family always refers to a plate of al dente linguine smothered with pan-sauteed shrimp and garlic butter sauce as “shrimp scampi.”
It’s a classic dish of plump, shrimp swimming in a zesty, buttery garlic sauce, and so easy to fall in love with. The ideal garlic-butter shrimp sauce is rich and so savory-tasting you don’t want to miss a single drop of it.
Are you with me on this? Garlic shrimp spaghetti in butter sauce is one of my absolute favorite pasta dinners, right next to decadent fettuccine Alfredo.
When I went to Italian restaurants back in the day (and wasn’t much of a cook yet) I’d always order the shrimp scampi, sometimes with squid ink pasta, which usually came served over a giant pile of spaghetti. I’d practically cry with happiness.
- How to clean and devein shrimp
- Quickly defrost frozen shrimp
- Ingredients for garlic butter shrimp pasta sauce
I think the best way to serve garlic butter shrimp sauce is over hot pasta — because the sauce! Preferably the pasta is a long shape like linguine or spaghetti, ensuring the ultimate slurp factor.
With this seafood pasta recipe in hand, you can make this absolutely delicious, easy gourmet pasta in minutes in your own kitchen.
Garlic butter shrimp pasta ingredients
This recipe is basically a shrimp scampi without wine, a quick recipe comes together so fast it’s worth getting all your ingredients lined up before you get started. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound peeled jumbo-sized shrimp: Choose raw jumbo or extra-large shrimp, usually 16-20 per pound. I always keep a bag of shrimp in my freezer.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic rather than pre-minced garlic out of a jar, if you can. Because this dish is so simple, you want the ingredients to shine. If you have a rasp grater (my favorite is this Microplane), you can grate the garlic into a fine paste in seconds.
- Crushed red chili pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- 1 pound long pasta noodles like linguine, spaghetti, angel hair, bucatini or fettuccine
- Chopped herbs (parsley or basil or a little of both) and grated Parmesan cheese
- Wine: If you want to add wine, pour in 1/4 cup of dry white wine (such as pinot grigio) in step 4 after the shrimp are cooked, before adding the butter and tomatoes.
- Butter and extra-virgin olive oil
How to clean and devein shrimp
You can usually buy shrimp already peeled, deveined and ready to go. Or, if you have a very friendly fishmonger you can ask them to do it for you. Otherwise, it’s pretty simple to do yourself.
- Hold the peeled shrimp in one hand and a small, sharp knife in the other.
- Make a shallow slit along the center of the shrimp along the back.
- Lift out the black stringy-looking part with your knife, then wipe the knife on a towel. If there’s no vein visible, move on to the next shrimp.
- Repeat until all your shrimp are clean.
Cooking steps
1. Dry the shrimp well with a paper towel. Season lightly with salt on both sides. 
2. Start cooking the shrimp in olive oil. This is a garlic butter sauce, but unless you typically use clarified butter for cooking, sautéeing the shrimp in butter alone will burn it.
3. Swirl the butter into the hot pan after the shrimp is cooked and let it melt into a foamy, creamy sauce with some of the pasta cooking water. That way you don’t need to dilute the flavor with chicken stock, wine or any other liquid.
How to quickly defrost shrimp
- Put the shrimp in a large bowl or pot and place in the sink.
- Break apart any clumps of ice with your fingers.
- Cover with water and swish around with your hands periodically until the shrimp is thawed, about 20 minutes.
Shrimp Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) linguine, spaghetti or your favorite long pasta shape
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound (450 g) jumbo or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pint (475 g) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
- 1 tablespoon garlic grated on a Microplane or very finely chopped garlic, about 2-3 plump cloves
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, salted or unsalted
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, or a mixture of chopped parsley and basil
- ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large (5 or 6 quarts) pot of water to a boil and season with 3 tablespoons kosher salt.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente (usually about 11 minutes). Scoop ½ cup of the pasta water out of the pot and set aside, then drain the pasta and transfer to a bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, pat the shimp with a paper towel to dry them. Sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides.
- Put a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the oil. When it starts to shimmer, add the shrimp in one layer. Cook 2 minutes, then turn them over and continue cooking until they turn pink and opaque, about 1 more minute. Remove the shrimp to a plate.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, butter and red pepper to the pan and stir. When the butter is melted, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and the lemon juice and swirl around until saucy (add more if needed, a tablespoon at a time).
- Add the shrimp to the skillet and stir to combine with the sauce. Pour the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with the parsley and Parmesan cheese to taste. Toss gently and enjoy!
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Instead of lemon juice, pour in 1/4 cup of dry white wine (such as pinot grigio) to the skillet in step 4 after the shrimp are transferred to a plate. Let it bubble for a minute before adding the tomatoes, garlic, butter and red pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Leave a comment and star rating
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Excellent recipe! Was a big hit with my family and will definitely make it again. Thanks
I just saw your Shrimp recipes and they sound DELICIOUS 😋. I’M sort of a novice cook, but we love shrimp. I’m excited that I found your site. The recipes are simple enough to follow & will make me look like a gourmet star!!! Thank you, I will be a faithful follower. Thanks again, can’t wait to start cooking 😋, JoAnne
Thanks JoAnne! Let us know how the pasta turns out for you! Hope you enjoy.
Can I add chicken with the shrimp?
Yes, you con use 1/2 pound of chicken with the shrimp. Slice boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1/2-inch strips or cubes. Start cooking the chicken first, then add the shrimp in when it’s cooked through.
So simple, sooo delicious. Amazing recipe and article!
Omg, awesome. Adding this recipe to my family list
Do you think this recipe would work with chicken instead of shrimp? Shellfish allergy here 😢
Hi Kirsten – Yes, you con use 1/2-3/4 pound of chicken instead of the shrimp. Slice boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1/2-inch strips or cubes. It may need a few more minutes to cook through.
Can you do this with zucchini noodles instead and if so would you substitute the pasta water with white wine?
I think you could definitely use zucchini noodles instead of pasta. You could either use white wine or plain water for the sauce.
So, just checking, does your calorie count not include the pasta? When I put the ingredients into My Fitness Pal it came out as 730 calories per serving.
Thank you.
Hi Jennifer – Great question. Yes, my calorie count includes the pasta. I use Spoonacular to calculate nutrition facts. I always advise my readers to use the calculator they are most comfortable with, as they are all notoriously different.
Why is there no white Chardonnay wine in the recipe. Can it be added and what amount
Hi Joan – I didn’t make this with white wine, but you sure can if you like! Choose a dry chardonnay or pinot grigio and add 1/4 cup in step 4 after the shrimp turn opaque. Let it simmer for about a minute, then add the tomatoes and other ingredients in step 5.
Love this recipe! Have made it multiple times now and shared it with my sister, who loves it too! Made it tonight with some dried tomatoes and that was delicious! Thanks so much for this recipe!
OMG! I love shrimp scampi, but this recipe was my hands down favorite of all time! That sauce is spectacular, shrimp were downright tender and perfectly cooked. I added spinach and it just blended so well with the rest of the ingredients. I only put in half the amount of pepper flakes but next time I’m going to use it all. I tossed my pasta with the shrimp in the pan. I may try this over some polenta one time. Thank you for such a yummy version of scampi!
Thinking of making this tonight…not gonna lie , using as a guide line simply because I’m not in my kitchen at home but in a kitchenette in a hotel as I am recovering from surgery. So I’m gonna do the best with what is kitchenette provides me with.
Kellie – I hope this dish brings you comfort and so much pleasure. Get well soon!
Great, easy recipe to follow. I substituted red bell pepper with the tomatoes as an acid, and added thyme to my olive oil searing of the shrimp. Wonderful! Thank you.
Red bell pepper is perfect! So glad you enjoyed the dish 🙂
Omg so yummy! Made this for my boyfriend and I for dinner. Excellent dinner from the boyfriend! Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Very good! I’m always looking for new recipes with shrimp and pasta. I followed the recipe except for the red chili (I’m sensitive to the flakes on my taste buds). This recipe is a keeper!
Thanks for sharing. My family greatly enjoyed it!
Not bad 🙂