15-Minute Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti

This quick & easy garlic shrimp spaghetti features succulent shrimp and pasta tossed in a luscious garlic butter sauce to have your tastebuds dancing with joy. Best of all, this light and delicious pasta is so incredibly simple to make, it will instantly become your weeknight staple.

What is garlic shrimp spaghetti?

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you’d know that I am hopelessly addicted to all things pasta – especially in the form of spaghetti.

To me, there’s nothing more comforting than indulging in a bowl of pasta after a long work day.

After sharing my creamy cajun chicken pasta, garlic pasta, and shrimp rose pasta recipes, I’ve received such wonderful responses from all of you, which made it all that more exciting to share this easy shrimp pasta recipe.

I love making pasta for dinner as they are easy to prepare, require minimal cleanup, and always so flavorful and satisfying, it often feels like a warm hug that we’ve needed after a long day.

Out of the many recipes that I’ve shared thus far, this garlic shrimp pasta has to be one of my favorite recipes of all time, and one that I truly could not wait to share with you all.

Simply put, it combines all my favorite things in a single dish – garlic, butter, pasta, and juicy pieces of shrimp.

To make it even better, we add a touch of spice to the garlic butter using crushed red pepper flakes, while topping it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese to give it that extra kick of flavor and comfort.

Served with a side of garlic bread, this garlic shrimp spaghetti is truly the meal of my dreams.

Best of all, it only takes a few minutes to put together with only a handful of ingredients, making it to be one of my favorite weeknight meals of all time.

What do I need to make garlic shrimp spaghetti?

As mentioned earlier, this easy shrimp pasta recipe calls for a simple list of ingredients, which makes it the perfect meal to whip up on a whim. Here are all the ingredients you will need for this shrimp spaghetti recipe:

• Shrimp: I recommend using good quality raw shrimp (fresh or frozen) for this recipe, as it is the main component of this dish.
  • I like having a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer at all times as it takes less than 10 minutes to defrost in cold water, which makes it ideal for putting together quick weeknight recipes like this one.
  • If you are not a fan of shrimp however, you can substitute for chicken or salmon chunks instead.
• Pasta: any long pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, for fettuccine will work best for this recipe.
  • Barilla spaghetti is always my go-to choice, but you can use your favorite kind of pasta, or even a whole grain option if you prefer the extra fiber and lower calories.
• Olive oil, garlic, butter, and crushed red pepper: to make the delicious garlic butter sauce.
  • I like using a mix of olive oil and butter as oil has a higher smoking point than pure butter which makes sautéing the aromatics a lot easier, and the flavors are also very complementary.
• Fresh parsley: or basil to finish.
• Parmesan cheese: for garnish. Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano will yield the best results, as it is adds a wonderful touch of umami (savory flavor) to the overall dish.

And that’s it! All the ingredients you need to make a comforting bowl of garlic shrimp pasta.

What are some other ways you can make garlic shrimp pasta?

As always, you are the artist in your own kitchen, so please feel free to make any creative substitutions as your heart desires.

This recipe is versatile in that the shrimp can be substituted with your protein of choice (chicken, salmon, tofu, etc) or you can also add in your favorite veggies or herbs to cater to your taste.

Some great additions would include mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or even a splash of fresh lemon juice to add flavor.

If you prefer your pasta to be creamy, I recommend using evaporated milk or heavy cream in place of the pasta water to make a creamy garlic butter sauce instead.

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious shrimp spaghetti recipe, and as always, please leave me a comment below or message me on Instagram if you have any questions. Happy cooking everyone!

Other easy Dinner recipes you may like:

• Shrimp Rose Pasta
• Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich
• Creamy Mushroom Miso Udon
• Garlic Chill Oil Noodles
• Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Print Recipe

5 from 36 votes

15-Minute Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti

This quick & easy garlic shrimp spaghetti features succulent shrimp and pasta tossed in a luscious garlic butter sauce to have your tastebuds dancing with joy. Best of all, this light and delicious pasta is so incredibly simple to make, it will instantly become your weeknight staple.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Entrée, Meal Prep

Cuisine: Fusion, Italian

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb large shrimp deveined and peeled
• 7 oz spaghetti or your choice of long pasta
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• lemon juice, parmesan cheese optional, for garnish

Instructions

• Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is one minute shy of al-dente. Reserve about a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until they are just cooked through and opaque. Remove and set aside.
• In the same pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and mix in the olive oil. Add garlic, cook until the edges are lightly golden, and stir in the red pepper flakes.
• Add pasta and 1/2 cup of pasta water, and toss well to combine. Add shrimp, and season with salt to taste, while continuing to stir around the pan.
• Once the pasta is tender and has aborbed most of the sauce, remove from heat and mix in the parsley. Garnish and enjoy!

Notes

The ideal ratio for well-seasoned pasta water is 1 tbsp of salt for every 4 liters of water. This makes up the core seasoning of your pasta, so please do not skip this step! 

Although pasta is best served fresh, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.

For ingredient details and recipe variations, please refer to the full post above.

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