Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta – Quick & Easy!
Garlic butter shrimp pasta takes less than 30 minutes to make and tastes amazing — shrimp tossed with a rich butter sauce, pasta, and fresh herbs? Yes, please!
It’s such an easy shrimp recipe but it feels fancy-ish – think shrimp scampi meets pasta for the best dinnertime hook-up ever. It’s great for a special occasion but quick enough for a weeknight dinner.
Table of contents
This easy garlic butter shrimp pasta recipe is like a big hug – had a tough week? Dog mad at you? Feeling put upon and misunderstood? Treat yourself to a pan of this buttery shrimp pasta goodness.
This recipe makes enough for two with some garlic toast on the side. Or, double it up to serve more – that works, too.
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Ingredients
- Spaghetti or other long pasta like fettuccine, linguine, or angel hair pasta
- Shrimp
- Unsalted butter
- Minced garlic clove
- Dry white wine
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley
Extras: Add a few pinches of red pepper flakes to dial up the heat factor or add some freshly ground black pepper for a simple garnish.
How to Make It
Boil the pasta following the package directions and then drain it.
Melt butter in a large skillet and add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook them until they are pink and opaque. Take them out of the skillet and set them aside.
Melt more butter in the pan and add the garlic and cook it until softened but not browned.
Add the wine, zest, and lemon juice and bring the liquid to a boil for about a minute so it can reduce. Lower the heat and add the rest of the butter and whisk so the sauce comes together.
Add the cooked shrimp, cooked pasta, and parsley. Toss to coat everything evenly in the sauce.
A Few More Notes
This garlic shrimp pasta is a really great Friday or Saturday night thank goodness the week is finally over dish.
It’s also a great I I’m gonna wow my friends and family dinner and flex my cooking prowess dish.
It’s also a once in a while dish because have you seen how much butter there is? I know, it’s so good.
I hope you give it a try – Enjoy!
Happy cooking,
More Easy Recipes
- One-Pan Spaghetti Bolognese with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- 11 Easy Dinner Recipes for Two
- 30-Minute Steak Carbonara for Two
- Tomatillo Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe along with your recipe star rating.
PrintGarlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
This garlic butter shrimp pasta feels fancy-ish but is so easy to make. It’s a great special occasion meal but easy enough for a weeknight dinner, too.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 oz spaghetti
- .75 lb shrimp, deveined and tails removed
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- A pinch or two of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine (I use Chardonnay)
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot heat salted water (should taste like the sea) over high heat. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
- In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook until they turn opaque, about 1-2 minutes per side. Depending on the size of the pan the shrimp may need to be cooked in batches. Once cooked remove from the pan and set aside.
- Next, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Once melted add the garlic (and red pepper flakes, if using) and cook until the garlic is softened. Lower the heat, if necessary, to avoid browning the garlic.
- Add the wine, zest, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and allow the mixture to reduce for a minute or so. Lower the heat and slowly add in the rest of the butter (1-2 tablespoons at a time). Use a whisk to help the mixture emulsify.
- Add the cooked shrimp to the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle the parsley over the top. Add in the cooked spaghetti and, using tongs, toss everything together. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
You can use fresh or frozen shrimp for this recipe. If using frozen, be sure to fully thaw the shrimp before cooking. This can be done fairly quickly by covering the frozen shrimp in cold water for about 20 minutes. Once thawed, dry the shrimp with a clean dish towel otherwise they won’t cook properly.
Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma Taste
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 548
- Sugar: 2.2g
- Sodium: 23.8mg
- Fat: 35.5g
- Saturated Fat: 21.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44.7g
- Fiber: 2.1g
- Protein: 8.3g
- Cholesterol: 94.4mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Post and photos updated from the archives. First published in February 2015.
Gosh this looks so yummy! Yes! I’ll join you!
A small side salad and this is the perfect meal!!!! It looks delicious and simple to prepare.
It’s so easy, Renee!
This looks so good, I am a sucker for seafood, in fact I occasionally wonder why I moved to a landlocked country, fortunately I can on occasions get really great frozen shrimp!
Your first paragraph made me smile. Yes, I’d agree that is the best way to fall off a wagon 🙂 And this looks like a great recipe!!!
Thanks Chrissie!
I made this tonight and it was really good. I made the dish per recipe and found it light and tasty despite the 6 tbsp of butter. Husband really enjoyed it. I would make this one again
Hi Robin! Thanks so much for letting me know – so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Love this recipe! I made it for company the other night and it was a huge hit.
I want to fall off the wagon with you!! Shrimp and pasta and BUTTER are the perfect combination!
My husband loves shrimp and I love pasta so this recipe is perfect for the two of us! Plus it’s easy to make!
This was absolutely delicious! It was quick, easy and the whole family loved it. Will be making this part of the go-to rotation in our house!
Oh, that’s so great! Glad your family loved it 🙂
Tasty and easy! Thanks for another awesome recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful
I made this last night. I added frozen asparagus to the pasta during the last couple of minutes of boiling. It was delicious!
Love that you added asparagus!
I haven’t tried this yet, but I expect it was just what i was looking for. Question however…when the recipe calls for dry white wine…can you recommend any one in particular?
Every time I try to add wine to my recipe….it does not seem to make it better! I know its not good to use ‘cheap’ wine, but can you suggest an inexpensive wine maker that is not the ‘cheap’ wine, but will NOT break my budget? (small budget for meals).
Thank you soo much.
Oh, I did just make your Pesto recipe….tasts good. I plan to freeze for future use this winter. I have more fresh basil and will make the dish fresh, sometime soon. So k I still cannot give an opinion on the basil pasta. But, the pesto was very good. thanks.
I like to use sauvignon blanc in this recipe! Although, if you really don’t like the taste of wine you could just skip it and add extra lemon juice instead.