Creamy Shrimp Pasta
This creamy shrimp pasta is a quick, elegant dish made with pantry staples and tender shrimp in a rich garlic-parmesan cream sauce. Ready in just 25 minutes, it’s perfect for busy weeknights and feels like dining out—without the hassle.
Ingredients
- 12 ozshrimp (- peeled and deveined)
- 8 ozpasta (- fettuccine, spaghetti, or your choice)
- 2 tbspbutter
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 3garlic cloves (- minced)
- 1 cupheavy cream
- ⅓ cupwhite wine (- or chicken broth)
- ½ cupparmesan cheese (- freshly grated)
- 1lemon (- juiced)
- 1 tspitalian seasoning
- ½ tsppaprika
- salt and pepper (- to taste)
- ¼ tspred pepper flakes (- optional, for heat)
- 2 tbspfresh parsley (- chopped, for garnish)
- extra parmesan (- for serving)
- lemon wedges (- optional, for serving)
Directions
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Tip: Water should taste like the sea.
- 2
Pat shrimp dry, season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Mince garlic, measure all other ingredients.
- 3
Cook pasta until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- 4
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook shrimp in a single layer, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- 5
In same skillet, melt butter. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add wine, simmer 2–3 minutes to reduce by half. Stir in cream, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan. Simmer gently until smooth.
- 6
Add pasta to sauce and toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water gradually to reach desired consistency.
- 7
Return shrimp to skillet and heat through. Add lemon juice and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- 8
Garnish with extra Parmesan and lemon wedges.