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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Bathed in delicious garlic butter sauce and full of juicy shrimp, this easy pasta dish will soon become a family favourite.

Make sure that make your very own Garlic Butter Sauce for this recipe. Or why not try some Buttery Old Bay Steamed Shrimp instead? Serve this with your favourite salad or vegetable and some Classic Homemade Garlic Bread to round out the meal.

A plate of shrimp pasta garnished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges, with more pasta dishes and glasses of white wine in the background on a white table.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This is an easy recipe.
Total Time: This pasta takes about 15 minutes to make.
Variations: Add your own favourite seasonings to the sauce. Heat things up with some red pepper flakes or cayenne powder. Add some fresh or dried dill, make some Cajun Seasoning or Shrimp Seasoning to sprinkle on the shrimp. You can use a different type of pasta or throw in a handful of frozen veggies. There are plenty of ways to personalize this dish.
Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a large pot, a colander, a large skillet, a cutting board, a knife, and a tablespoon. If you are also making the Garlic Butter Sauce, you will need the tools for that as well.

Two white plates with shrimp scampi pasta garnished with parsley and lemon wedges sit on a marble table; a serving platter, salt shaker, wine glasses, fresh parsley, and forks are beside them.

What You’ll Need For Ingredients

Shrimp: Any fresh or frozen shrimp will work for this recipe. Be sure to peel and devein it, as well as defrost it fully if it’s frozen. Pat it dry before cooking and adjust cooking time according to the size of the shrimp you’re using.

Pasta: The recipe card calls for linguini, but this will work with pretty much any pasta. This sauce is especially wonderful for longer noodle shapes like fettuccini and spaghetti, but would also work nicely with rotini or cavatappi.

Sauce: There is a recipe for delicious homemade garlic butter sauce linked in this post, but you can use a sauce from the store or your own favourite recipe if you prefer.

Raw shrimp in a bowl, dry spaghetti on a striped towel, lemon wedges and a bowl of broth on a wooden board, and fresh parsley on a marble surface.

How To Make Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

Cooked spaghetti noodles are draining in a metal colander on a marble countertop. Surrounding the colander are fresh parsley, lemon wedges, a striped kitchen towel, a bowl of shrimp, and a container of grated cheese.

A stainless steel pan filled with raw shrimp sits on a marble countertop. Nearby are uncooked pasta, lemon wedges, fresh parsley, a small bowl of sauce, and a striped kitchen towel.

Prepare a double batch of Garlic Butter Sauce. Set aside.
Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the shrimp in 2 tablespoons of butter.
Toss cooked pasta and cooked shrimp with the sauce.
Squeeze lemon juice over it and serve with lemon wedges and fresh pasrley for garnish.

A close-up of a fork twirling spaghetti with shrimp, garnished with parsley and lemon zest, above a plate of pasta. The background shows a blurred table setting and white tiled wall.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Perfect Shrimp: Overcooked shrimp turns chewy and rubbery, and it’s very easy to accidently cook it too long. So, the shrimp needs to be almost the last thing you do in preparing for dinner. Only cook it for as long as absolutely necessary and don’t let it sit in the hot pan once it’s cooked. When done right, the shrimp should come out perfectly cooked, juicy, and tender.

Flavorful Additions: This pasta recipe has plenty of flavour on its own. However, if you’d like to add some extra pizazz to this dish, you could try making Cajun Shrimp or Garlic Butter Shrimp to toss into the pasta. Why not make some Roasted Parsnips with Garlic Herb Butter Sauce as a vegetable side that matches the flavour profile?

A plate of pasta topped with shrimp, fresh parsley, and lemon zest, garnished with lemon wedges. The plate sits on a marble surface with a fork, knife, and striped napkin nearby.

Storage Instructions

Fridge: Once the pasta has fully cooled, you can store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat for a couple minutes in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.

Freezer: This recipe probably wouldn’t freeze well, but if you really need to, make sure it’s cooled before you put it into a sealed container in the freezer.

More Delicious Pasta Recipes

Looking for more easy pasta recipes to make for weeknight meals?

Try this Penne Pasta with Homemade Meat Sauce.

Learn How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti for another quick meal.

Craving something a bit different? Try Haluski – Fried Cabbage and Noodles.

There it is, everyone. A simple pasta loaded with garlic butter and shrimp. Try this recipe and let me know how you like it.

Happy Cooking!

Karlynn