Linguini noodles coated in a creamy lemon garlic sauce with juicy jumbo shrimp to top it off – this shrimp pasta dish is super easy to make with minimal ingredients and BIG flavor!
Why this recipe works
The decadent creamy sauce really pulls this shrimp pasta dish together. It’s a mixture of buttery-lemon-garlic goodness that you don’t even have to taste to understand. It pairs perfectly with tender noodles and plump shrimp. This filling pasta dish will quickly become a favorite around your house, see for yourself.
Want to change up the flavors a little? Check out my chili lime shrimp, it would go so well with this lemon garlic sauce!
RELATED: you might also like this recipe РSaut̩ed Shrimp
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
SHRIMP – Shrimp vary in size. They’re labeled by how many shrimp are in a pound – so the lower the number, the larger the shrimp. I used 21-25 per pound shrimp. You can use frozen or fresh, but if they are frozen, allow them to thaw completely before beginning.
How to Make Shrimp Pasta
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Prepare shrimp by thawing completely (if frozen) and making sure they are peeled and deveined. Place shrimp on a few layers of paper towels and blot with additional paper towels so that they are as dry as possible.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the shrimp.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook linguini to desired tenderness. Reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain pasta the rest of the way.
- Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for about 30 seconds.
- Add shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Allow them to cook without stirring until they are fully pink and slightly golden brown on one side (about 2 minutes). Quickly flip to the other side and continue cooking another 1-2 minutes until they are pink/opaque all the way through. Immediately remove from skillet.
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in the same pan. Add lemon juice and whisk in heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a low simmer.
- Add parmesan cheese and whisk until sauce is smooth and cheese is fully melted.
- Add cooked pasta and up to 1 cup of reserved pasta water into the sauce. Stir to coat pasta. Add the shrimp back into the pan just long enough to reheat gently.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges, chopped parsley, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store leftover shrimp pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To loosen the lemon garlic sauce, simply add pasta water. The pasta water helps break up the pasta and the sauce and keeps it from getting too thick and clumpy. You can adjust the amount of pasta water by adding it a little at a time. As the sauce cools, it will thicken also. I found about 1 cup of pasta water to be great, but feel free to adjust it to your preference.
Serving Suggestions
Shrimp pasta is quite filling on its own, but parmesan garlic rolls, garlic cheese rolls, or a crisp side salad are always a welcome addition. Serve warm with chopped parsley, extra parmesan cheese, and a lemon wedge.
More Pasta Recipes
- Pasta Primavera
- Bolognese Sauce
- Mushroom Ravioli
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Simple Zucchini Tomato Pasta
- Pasta Carbonara
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta
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Shrimp Pasta
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- ¾ lb jumbo shrimp raw, deveined
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup unsalted butter divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice fresh, about 2 – 2 1/2 lemons
- â…“ cup heavy cream
- â…“ cup parmesan freshly grated
- 8 oz linguini pasta
- fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- You really want to sear the shrimp by getting the garlic butter nice and hot and ensuring that the shrimp are dry and pre-seasoned. Put them in the pan without a lot of stirring or moving them around. Work in batches if you can’t fit all of the shrimp in a single layer. Don’t crowd them. You don’t want to boil them or overcook them. The whole process takes 4-5 minutes tops.
- The pasta water helps break up the pasta and the sauce and keep it from getting too thick and clumpy. You can adjust the amount of pasta water by adding it a little at a time. As the sauce cools, it will thicken also. I found about 1 cup of pasta water to be great.
- Shrimp vary in size. They’re labeled by how many shrimp are in a pound – so the lower the number, the larger the shrimp. I used 21-25 per pound shrimp.
Instructions
- Prepare shrimp by thawing completely (if frozen) and making sure they are peeled and deveined. Place shrimp on a few layers of paper towels and blot with additional paper towels so that they are as dry as possible.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the shrimp.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook linguini to desired tenderness. Reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain pasta the rest of the way.
- Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for about 30 seconds.
- Add shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Allow them to cook without stirring until they are fully pink and slightly golden brown on one side (about 2 minutes). Quickly flip to the other side and continue cooking another 1-2 minutes until they are pink/opaque all the way through. Immediately remove from skillet.
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in the same pan. Add lemon juice and whisk in heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a low simmer.
- Add parmesan cheese and whisk until sauce is smooth and cheese is fully melted.
- Add cooked pasta and up to 1 cup of reserved pasta water into the sauce. Stir to coat pasta. Add the shrimp back into the pan just long enough to reheat gently.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges, chopped parsley, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Eric says
This was amazing!
Dolly Dugan says
Hi Amanda,
Just made this recipe tonight. It was very good, but have one question. Are you supposed to wipe out the pan after searing the shrimp in the garlic butter mixture? I did, as garlic tends to get so brown, etc. But wondering if I should’ve left that in the pan before adding the lemon juice, cream, etc. I enjoy your recipes, thank you!
Marguerite says
Just made this last night ,Excellent and easy .
This is a keeper
Francesca Jellison says
Hi AMANDA. I made a lighter version of this using a light cream. It was yummy!!