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 recipe 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.
Creamy shrimp pasta comes together quickly, in around 35 minutes, in fact. There’s not a whole lot to it, but boy does the flavor make it taste like something you spent a while on. 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 – Sautéed 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.
PASTA – You can use whatever pasta shape you prefer. Long, thin pasta is the standard such as linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti, or angel hair, but small shapes like rotini, penne, and rigatoni will work just as well!
PARMESAN – Freshly grated parmesan is ideal when tossing it into sauces. It’s richer in flavor and melts much smoother compared to the prebagged or bottled variety. You can substitute with preshredded if needed, just note that it may cause the sauce to be a bit grainy.
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.
Shrimp is cooked when it turns opaque in color with bright pink and red hues. The sweet spot for cooking skillet shrimp is 2-3 minutes MAX on each side. You do not want to overcook them, they will turn rubbery and tough.
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
- Mushroom Ravioli
- 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 Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- ¾ lb jumbo shrimp raw, deveined
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz linguini pasta
- ½ cup unsalted butter divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 Tablespoons lemon juice fresh, about 2 – 2 1/2 lemons
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup parmesan freshly grated
- 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.3/4 lb jumbo shrimp
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the shrimp.salt and pepper to taste
- 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.8 oz linguini pasta
- 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.4 cloves garlic
- 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.4 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- Add parmesan cheese and whisk until sauce is smooth and cheese is fully melted.1/3 cup parmesan
- 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.fresh parsley
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
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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!!