This bright garlic shrimp pasta recipe, prepared Mediterranean-style, takes just 20 minutes or less to make! Tossed in a light sauce with garlic, onions, white wine, and lemon juice, it's a dish that brings fine dining to your home. Serve with your favorite salad to start!
Why This Recipe Works
Shrimp and pasta are a match made in heaven! This recipe elevates the classic shrimp scampi by tossing the shrimp in a light Mediterranean sauce with garlic, fresh tomatoes, white wine, and lemon juice. It's a quick and easy dinner bursting with fresh, delicious flavors, perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions.
Choosing the Right Pasta
Long, round pastas like spaghetti or angel hair pasta work really well with the light garlic lemon and wine sauce. Thinner pasta provides a beautiful delicate presentation and allows the elements of this shrimp pasta recipe to shine! Tube-shaped pasta (like penne or rigatoni) are better suited for thick sauces like ragu. For those following a strict Mediterranean diet, use whole grain pasta. Linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti are also good choices.
Cooking the Shrimp to Perfection
Because shrimp cooks quickly, it's best to cook it separately and then add it to the pasta a few seconds before serving. Simply cook the shrimp in a pan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Depending on the size of the shrimp, this will take about 4 to 5 minutes in total.
Raw shrimp is grey and flappy, but you can tell it’s cooked when it turns a pearly pink color. Avoid over-cooking the shrimp, and remember that you’ll add them to the pasta for a few more seconds to warm up before serving. Multitasking is not an option when cooking shrimp! You need to be ready to move them from the skillet to the plate as soon as they are cooked.
Read also: A Review of the Mediterranean Diet in Kidney Disease
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Get the pasta cooking in boiling water according to package. Remember to add salt. Save a bit of the starchy pasta water before draining. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and oil. Drain. Cook whole-grain angel hair pasta until al dente.
- Cook the shrimp: Do this while the pasta is cooking to save time. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3 minutes per side. Cook the shrimp on each side for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns pink. Transfer the shrimp to a side plate for now.
- Make the sauce: Remove the shrimp so you can use the same pan. In the same pan add a little more extra virgin olive oil, if needed. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onions, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes (I used Aleppo-style pepper). Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine to the pan and scrape up any pieces of garlic and onions. Cook the wine for 1 minute to reduce then add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the chopped parsley and tomatoes, toss about for about 30 to 40 seconds. Season with Kosher salt.
- Put it all together: Add the cooked pasta to the pan, and toss to coat. Add some of the pasta starchy water if you need to. Finally, add the cooked shrimp. Allow the shrimp to warm through briefly (another 30 seconds), then remove the pasta from heat. Mix in the pasta, and if you need to, add a bit of pasta water. Toss to be sure the pasta is well-coated. Add the cooked shrimp and toss until warmed through. To finish, sprinkle a little grated parmesan cheese and more red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this garlic shrimp pasta with a big salad to start. Panzanella (when tomatoes are in season), or this white bean salad for a hearty option.
Tips for the Best Shrimp Pasta
- Freshness: Fresh shrimp always wins! Go for shrimp that’s firm, smells clean and briny, and has no fishy odor. Thaw and then peel and devein your shrimp. Make sure your shrimp are all the same size.
- Size Matters: Medium to large shrimp (21-25 counts per pound or “26 - 30” shrimp) are perfect for pasta dishes.
- Don't Overcook: Shrimp cooks very quickly and can go from tender to tough in a matter of seconds. Cook it for only about 2 minutes per side, just until it turns pink in color.
- Salt the Pasta Water: Salt the pasta water for a well-seasoned dish.
- Reserve Pasta Water: Adding cooking water to pasta sauce is the secret to unlocking the complex flavor found in restaurant pasta dishes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it vegetarian: Simply omit the shrimp to make this a plant-based meal.
- Swap the protein: Swap scallops for the shrimp, or make the recipe with sliced or cubed chicken breasts or a package of Italian sausage. If you don’t have shrimp, salmon would work in this as well.
- Add Veggies: In place of spinach, baby kale or broccoli could also work in this dish. If using broccoli, add it to the pasta water during the last 3 - 4 minutes of cooking and toss it with the pasta and pesto before serving.
- Cheese: Crumble some Feta cheese on top after the dish is assembled and let everyone add his own. You can toss the feta cheese with the pasta; it will change the texture and color of the pasta and become more creamy in a good way! As a substitute for Burrata cheese you can safely use fresh Mozzarella cheese as a substitute. Use small Mozzarella cheese "pearls" or soft, larger balls of Mozzarella cheese.
- Pasta: Linguine, fettuccine, angel hair and spaghetti are also good choices.
Make Ahead Instructions
Cook the pasta and prepare the sauce one night in advance. Store them separately in the fridge in tight-lid containers. Cook the shrimp the next day just before serving. Warm the sauce and the pasta over medium heat, adding a bit of pasta water as needed. Add in the just-cooked shrimp and toss to combine. Don’t cook the shrimp until just before serving.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2 nights (assuming the shrimp is fresh or had been properly stored in the freezer before cooking). Warm through over medium heat, adding a little bit if liquid if needed. It's best to keep the shrimp out and add it in to warm through just before serving to avoid over-cooking the shrimp Reheat the leftovers over low-medium heat in a pan on the stovetop or a microwave-safe dish in the microwave oven. Reheat in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Reheat it in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat.
Embrace the Mediterranean Diet
Enjoying seafood twice a week, including shellfish, is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet. It’s a great source of protein, is typically low in fat and saturated fat, and is low in calories. This Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta has everything that makes the Mediterranean diet so delicious: Seafood, fresh vegetables and herbs, and fresh pasta.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, linguine or fettuccine)
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (or parmesan)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Toasted pine nuts
- Artichoke hearts
- Basil
- Baby spinach
- Vidalia onion
- Chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
- While pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a plate.
- In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons butter. Add minced garlic, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add lemon zest, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir in the wine or broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about ½. Stir in ½ the pesto and combine well.
- Add the cooked pasta and shrimp to the skillet, tossing to coat in the flavorful sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes, adding reserved pasta water if needed to loosen. Stir in cheese and lemon juice; cook and stir until cheese is melted.
- Finally, top with crumbled feta cheese and toasted pine nuts; garnish with fresh basil if desired. Savor the perfect balance of flavors in every bite.
Read also: Delicious Mediterranean Recipes
Read also: Mediterranean Diet, Instant Pot Style
tags: #mediterranean #diet #shrimp #pasta #recipe