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Shrimp pasta, and summer go hand in hand. Especially a light pasta dish that satisfies your hunger without making you feel too full. This recipe originally was shared on Pinterest, and is still making the rounds, but I have changed it just a smudge.
Super Easy
This recipe consists of cooking the pasta and shrimp, and mixing together the ingredients for the sauce. Shrimp pasta is so easy, that Todd and I as “chefs” on a weeklong cruise in the Bahamas, made it on the boat! A four cabin catamaran sailboat to be exact, and it was a lot of fun. Talk about impressing your friends with such a simple but gorgeous dish.
First Things First
The first thing I do is get the water boiling, then, I prepare the sauce. I get the oil and lemon into a large bowl, stir it together, and add the capers. I don’t chop the basil until I have added all the ingredients together – this prevents it from wilting and keeps its pretty color. Did you know you can buy Parmesan Cheese at the store and keep it in your fridge? Once I started buying and grating my own Parmesan Cheese, I never went back – there is nothing better than freshly grated cheese in this dish!
Pasta into the Pool
As soon as the water is boiling, I toss in the pasta. Fresh fettuccine is my go-to pasta for this dish, but you can use any other type of pasta you like. Also, a perk to the fresh pasta is that it only takes 4-5 minutes to cook! If I am adding chopped asparagus or spinach, I will toss that in with the pasta when there are a few minutes left to let it cook; the asparagus needs about 4 minutes, while the spinach only takes a minute to wilt.
Have the Shrimp Ready to Cook
Also, I have the cleaned and peeled shrimp seasoned and ready to cook in a hot skillet when there is about 3-4 minutes left for the pasta. Also, do not skip the step of cleaning the shrimp – it’s an easy process and is much healthier for you. I place the shrimp seasoned side down, and season the other side while it is cooking. Cook the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and cook another 1 1/2 minutes and take them off the heat and place on a plate.
Mix it all Together
Now that everything is ready to mix, I drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the sauce. Then, I add the freshly chopped basil. Growing a basil plant is so easy, and there is nothing better than fresh basil to make this dish pop. I place the pasta on plates, and top with the shrimp and a basil leaf. Easy peasy!
Variations
I have also made this dish using lime in place of the lemon, and have used chicken or scallops in place of the shrimp. Such a versatile dish!
Enjoy,
Sherri
Easy Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 quarts Water
- 8 oz Spaghetti, Fettuccine, or other pasta uncooked
- 2 cups Baby Spinach chopped
- 1 pound Large Shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice fresh
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 tbsp Capers rinsed
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil chopped
Instructions
- Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes.
- Mix together sauce ingredients.
- While Pasta is cooking, season and add shrimp to pan; cooking 1 ½ minutes on each side, or until shrimp are done.
- Pasta should be cooked al dente – or to your liking.
- Add chopped spinach to pasta water, if desired, until just wilted. Drain.
- Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Stir in sauce mixture. Add Shrimp.
- Top with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
This looks yummy. You might try something I do with seafood pasta dishes. I “melt” an anchovy or two in the pan with my garlic and red pepper flakes before adding the other sauce ingredients. No one knows the anchovy is there, but it adds just the right unami taste. Try it, Sherri – and let me know what you think! xo, Shelly
I definitely will, I love the saltiness of anchovies! Thanks for the suggestion. I will let you know how it goes!