Amazing Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe
Here’s a delicious Amazing Garlic Shrimp Pasta recipe — with a few variations (light, creamy, lemony) depending on your mood. Feel’s fancy but is pretty easy to make!
🧄 Garlic Shrimp Pasta — Basic Recipe
Serves: ~ 4
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients
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300–400 g pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or your favorite)
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300–400 g shrimp, peeled & deveined
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4–6 cloves garlic, minced
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2 tbsp olive oil
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2 tbsp butter
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Salt & black pepper, to taste
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Red pepper flakes (optional, for a little kick)
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½ lemon (juice + zest) — optional, for brightness
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Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
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Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions
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Cook the pasta
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Boil a large pot of water, add salt, then cook the pasta until al dente.
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Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water before draining (this helps later with the sauce).
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Prepare the shrimp
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Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel (this helps them sear nicely).
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Season lightly with salt and pepper.
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Make the garlic sauce
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Heat a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil + butter.
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When the butter melts, add the minced garlic, and sauté until it's fragrant (but don’t burn it).
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Optional: add red pepper flakes here if you want heat.
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Cook the shrimp
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Add the shrimp to the pan with garlic.
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Cook ~2 minutes per side, or until they turn pink and are cooked through.
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Combine pasta and sauce
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Add the cooked pasta into the pan.
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Pour in some of the reserved pasta water to help make a silky sauce and help everything cling together.
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Toss well so pasta gets coated in garlic butter and shrimp flavor.
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Finish & serve
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Squeeze in the lemon juice, and add the lemon zest if using.
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Taste and adjust salt / pepper.
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Turn off heat, then stir in chopped parsley.
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Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (if you like).
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💡 Variations to Try
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Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta: Use heavy cream or whipping cream + chicken (or vegetable) broth + parmesan to make a rich, creamy sauce. Gourmet Martha+1
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Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta: Add more lemon zest and juice for a bright, tangy flavor. Sip and Feast
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Scampi-style Garlic Shrimp Pasta: Use white wine in the sauce (let it reduce), then add butter and parsley at the end. Chef Billy Parisi+1
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Spicy version: Increase red pepper flakes, or add a diced chili when sautéing garlic.
🔪 Tips for Best Results
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Don’t overcook the shrimp — they cook very quickly and get rubbery if left too long.
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Reserve pasta water! It’s magic for making sauce silky and binding everything.
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Use fresh garlic — it’s far more aromatic than garlic powder.
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If your sauce is too thick, loosen it with more pasta water; if too thin, reduce the heat a little to evaporate.
- 1 lb Spaghetti (or linguine)
- 1 lb Shrimp medium , cleaned and deveined, and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1 cup White Wine
- 3 Cloves Of Garlic , finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Parsley
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Cayenne Pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Put the pasta on to cook.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet.
3. Add the shrimp, garlic, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
4. After a minute or two, as soon as the shrimp are pink and opaque, remove them from the pan.
5. Add butter and wine in the skillet and turn the heat up to medium high.
6. Cook until it has reduced by half.
7. Drain the pasta, reserving a small cup of pasta water.
8. Return the shrimp to the skillet and cook until heated through.
9. Add the parsley and mix.
10. Add the pasta, and cook another minute or two over high heat.
11. If it seems dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water.
12. Serve piping hot, garnishing with additional fresh parsley if desired.
