Garlic Shrimp Pasta
These garlicky noodles are laced with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, and studded with plump shrimp! Deliciously easy, made in one-pan, and ready in under 20 minutes!
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
There’s so much flavor in this incredible dish! There are very few ingredients, but each one shines and adds complexity to the dish. The shrimp is pan-seared in butter with crushed red pepper flakes, which adds great color and flavor to the sweet seafood. The noodles are tossed with garlic-and-wine infused butter, and then everything is coated with parmesan cheese!
Wine adds great flavor to the sauce, but it’s optional. If you don’t have white wine on hand, you can use vermouth. If you want to leave the alcohol out entirely, just add a little more of the pasta cooking water. Pro tip: If you’re leaving out the wine, I suggest adding 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to catapult flavor!
I used shrimp, but scallops would be equally fabulous! If you want to substitute scallops, feel free – there’s no need to change anything in the recipe! And, if you’d rather no have seafood, bite-size pieces of chicken work too!
What type of pasta should you use? I used angel hair pasta because I wanted to pair the shrimp with a light, delicate noodle. But that’s just me! You can use spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, or any small-shaped pasta, like penne or rigatoni.
For a gluten-free meal, use gluten-free pasta! There are so many delicious, gluten-free pasta options available these days, so grab your favorite variety and swap it in for the regular pasta.
Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces angel hair pasta, spaghetti, or pasta of choice
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, or 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup white wine or vermouth, or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and season with salt, black pepper, and the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Cook until the shrimp are opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the reserved pasta water and parmesan cheese. Fold in the pasta and toss to coat. Return the shrimp to the pan with any accumulated juices from the plate. Cook for 1 minute to heat through.
- Garnish with parsley (if using) and serve.