New: Meal Planner
Plan your weekly meals instantly from anywhere on the web
Try the Meal Planner!
Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe – Easy, quick, and delicious dinner! Seasoned shrimps are pan-seared then tossed in a creamy garlic sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and farfalle pasta. All you need is about 30 minutes to whip up this creamy shrimp pasta recipe. It is nourishing, super easy to make, and packed with flavor! This quick shrimp pasta recipe will become your new favorite – Enjoy!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list for the creamy shrimp pasta
- 8 oz (240g) farfalle pasta
- 1 pound (450g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and cracked black pepper
- 4 oz (120g) chopped sun-dried tomatoes, drained from oil – keep 2 tablespoons oil reserved
- 1 cup (240ml) half-and-half (or whipping cream)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded parmesan (or mozzarella)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan, for garnish
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions
How to make the creamy shrimp pasta recipe:
1. Arrange shrimp in a shallow plate and sprinkle with onion powder.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and reserve some of the cooked pasta water for later.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved sundried tomato oil. Add shrimp on one layer and cook on each side for about 1 minute each, until shrimp turns pink or golden brown on both sides. Season shrimp with salt while cooking. Remove the cooked shrimp to a plate.
4. To the same skillet, add sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Saute sun-dried tomatoes, stirring for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the broth and half and half to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add shredded parmesan (or mozzarella) and continue cooking the sauce on low simmer heat, constantly stirring, until all the cheese melts and the creamy sauce forms.
5. Add dried basil, crushed fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika and stir well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Add cooked pasta to the cream sauce and reheat gently on medium heat.
7. Stir in the cooked shrimp. If the sauce gets too thick, add a small amount of half-and-half or reserved cooked pasta water. Let the shrimp and pasta in the cream sauce simmer on low for a couple of minutes for the flavors to combine. Garnish with grated parmesan, and immediately serve the creamy garlic shrimp pasta. Enjoy!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Tips for the creamy shrimp pasta recipe
This creamy shrimp pasta recipe is made with bow tie pasta, shrimps, in a delicious garlic cream sauce, ready in under 30 minutes. It is nourishing, super easy to make, and packed with flavor!
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown rice pasta – just cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- One special ingredient turns this shrimp pasta recipe from great to awesome: fennel seeds. Believe us, fennel gives a depth of flavor that will ravish your tastebuds.
Shrimp Pasta Ingredients
The shrimp is pan-seared then tossed in the creamy sauce with pasta. We love shrimp so much because it cooks super fast. You’ll love making this shrimp pasta recipe! Here are a few words on the ingredients for the creamy shrimp pasta:
- Farfalle pasta: A great pasta shape with the same size as the shrimp for better tossing into the sauce. Use bulky pasta like rotini or penne.
- Shrimp: Fresh or frozen shrimp (thaw in the refrigerator or in cold water), we like wild-caught shrimp for the best flavor.
- Onion powder:
- Garlic: Garlic will infuse in oil with he the sundried tomatoes.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: They bring a wonderful flavor profile to the shrimp pasta.
- Half-and-half: For a creamy sauce that sticks to the shrimp and pasta.
- Vegetable or chicken broth: To flavor the sauce and roundup up the dish.
- Mozzarella: To melt into the cream sauce.
- Dried basil: Basil is the perfect flavor combination with the garlicky, creamy pasta sauce.
- Fennel seeds: With an anise flavor. The secret ingredient to this shrimp recipe!
- Red chili pepper flakes: Adds a kick of heat.
- Paprika: Add a smokey flavor.
- Parmesan: A savory cheese to combine with shrimp and pasta at the end of cooking.
How to make the shrimp pasta
Cook shrimp and the sauce while your pasta is cooking. This ensures the pasta and sauce are both ready and warm at the same time:
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water. Keep pasta al dente because they will soak up a bit of the garlic cream sauce.
- Season shrimp and sear on both sides in a hot skillet. Remove to a plate.
- In the same skillet, cook the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, half-and-half, and cheese.
- Season the creamy pasta sauce with the spices, then add the cooked pasta.
- Add the cooked shrimp to the pasta and stir well. Your creamy shrimp pasta is ready!
How to cook shrimp
- Frozen shrimp is okay for this recipe but try as much as possible to buy wild-caught shrimp. Fresh wild-caught shrimp tends to have a better flavor. You can use the shrimp with the tails on or off.
- Make sure you’re using a large skillet (at least 10- inches) because you’re going to need room for all the pasta.
- Make sure not to crowd the shrimp in the skillet, otherwise, moisture will form and shrimp won’t sear properly. You’ll end up with steamed rubbery shrimp. Also, don’t overcook shrimp at the beginning, they will dry up otherwise.
What to serve with the shrimp pasta recipe
Serve the creamy shrimp pasta with a side of garlic bread and a fresh green salad. A generous dash of high-quality olive oil is also a plus, but it’s optional.
More pasta recipes
- Tomato Spinach Shrimp Pasta
- Instant Pot Pasta Soup with Shrimp
- 20-Minute Sausage Pasta Skillet
- Parmesan Spinach Mushroom Pasta Skillet
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Leave a Reply
Shai Jackson
2023-07-24 15:23:21
I loved this recipe! I tweaked it to make it vegetarian and it was delicious. My only concern is that the sauce came out sort of gritty, and I’m wondering how to rectify that for the future.
Cathy
2022-03-17 21:33:59
Please disregard previous post, I'm not used to doing this. This was absolutely delicious. I have a hefty 32 yr old, so I stretched this. I also added parmesan to the skillet. Pasta water is something I need to remember with other dishes. What made this song for me was adding tomato bruschetta in the sauce also, it's made by caramia. Just delicious, thanks
Kim
2021-05-18 19:47:17
This recipe was excellent! I’ve made other recipes similar to this, but this one had so much more flavor! I added a bag of fresh spinach to the sundried tomatoes and garlic step. Definitely a keeper!!
Marie Elene
2021-04-20 19:43:57
Definitely a keeper I added spinach Just the right amount of spices
Debbie B
2021-03-16 12:52:43
Very tasty recipe. I doubled it and added a pound of chopped asparagus and simmered until tender. Did add more chicken broth, maybe 1/2 cup to thin it out, also threw in a handful of grated parmesan. Was so yummy with crusty bread to wipe up the leftover sauce!
Terry
2021-01-17 08:19:36
The recipe was great the only thing I did different is I added sliced tomatoes on top while cooking and cut up some sausage and put it in the mix for a different twist took a picture of it and send it to all my friendsIt was out of this world thank you for your main recipe loved it
