Shrimp Scampi Pasta - Immaculate Bites

For a quick, easy, yet fancy pasta dish, look no further than this shrimp scampi pasta with the perfect balance of creaminess, spiciness, and acidity. Thanks to garlic, Creole seasoning, and Parmesan cheese, here’s an incredible weeknight meal served right out of the pan!

 

This gal here has been blogging about food since 2013. But I have a little confession today. This gal isn’t always 100% enthusiastic when it comes to sweating it out in the kitchen. I prefer quick and easy meals without sacrificing flavor.

I’m usually good with cooking times between 15 and 30 minutes. Trust me, I also have some cooking rut days where all I want to do is order takeout and devour my meal in front of the TV. Yes, that’s me! Or if I kinda feel like dressing up, I’ll sometimes go out to some fancy restaurant and go back home blabbering about how I wasted a week’s worth of groceries for one night. Yes, that’s also me.

What Makes Shrimp Pasta a Winner Recipe

I’ve decided to put into practice what I’ve known for years. Herbs and spices can transform any simple meal into restaurant-quality without the hefty bill or extensive labor in the kitchen. This garlicky, lemony scampi sauce with a bit of heat will wake up your taste buds. And pasta is usually my go-to dish whenever I want a fancy dinner.

Shrimp is probably the most economical of seafood, and it cooks up in minutes. Add a sprinkle of my secret Creole seasoning (now that’s not a secret at all) for a bolder and more flavorful dish. Well, maybe more than a sprinkle because we’re more likely to underseason than overseason.

How to Make Shrimp Scampi Pasta

1. Boil the angel hair pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package instructions (3-5 minutes). Drain and set aside. (Photo 1)
2. Shrimp – Generously season the shrimp and sauté them in butter for 3-5 minutes, and set aside. (Photo 2)
3. Flavor – Sauté the onions, garlic, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes in more butter for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. (Photos 3-4)

1. Pour in the chicken stock, parsley, and lemon juice, and stir until combined—season with the Creole seasoning and salt. (Photo 5)
2. Add the pasta to the pan and gently stir until the pasta is completely covered with the sauce. Adjust seasonings and salt to taste. (Photos 6-7)
3. Assemble – Return shrimp to the pan, and serve hot, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan and lemon wedges. Enjoy! (Photo 8)

Recipe Tips

• The only time-consuming part is peeling the shrimp. But hey, you can always buy the peeled packaged ones. I won’t judge!
• Shrimp cook fast, so please be careful not to overcook them and make them tough.
• Feel free to substitute white wine for the chicken stock for extra flavor.
• Bacon bits take it to the next level because bacon is BACON, right?

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

While I wouldn’t deliberately make this recipe ahead, I do love heating leftovers for a quick lunch. That said, you could season and sauté the shrimp, make the sauce and the pasta, cool them, then assemble and heat them in a skillet the next day.

Add a splash of broth to leftovers and heat it up in a pan or nuke it in the microwave. You could also heat frozen veggies and chicken broth in a saucepan, then add the leftover shrimp scampi for a delicious soup.

Leftover shrimp will stay good in the fridge for 2-3 days or 3-4 months in the freezer.

Classic sides include garlic bread and a refreshingly crisp salad. If it’s too cold for salad, try roasted vegetables to round out the meal. Riesling is my choice of a versatile wine for seafood and pasta, and fried apples make an easy dessert.

More Decadent Pasta Recipes to Try

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”aEJLGEae” upload-date=”2021-04-02T07:00:00.000Z” name=”Shrimp Scampi Pasta” description=”Shrimp Scampi Pasta – quick and easy fancy pasta dish with the right amount of lemon and garlic flavor topped with creole-seasoned shrimps and parmesan cheese for an incredible weeknight meal served right out of the pan!” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]