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Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti is an easy and quick pasta dish for the weekday menu. Savory, succulent shrimp sizzling in a garlic butter sauce paired with light and airy spaghetti. It’s a family favorite that I can usually whip up in 15 minutes.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to make garlic shrimp spaghetti
- Cook the shrimp with salt and red pepper flakes in butter until cooked through.
- Flip the shrimp to the other side to finish cooking, then remove the shrimp and set aside.
- Cook the remaining garlic and butter in the same skillet, along with the lemon juice, pasta water (reserved from cooking the pasta) and parmesan cheese. Use a whisk to combine the sauce and scrape up any bits from the shrimp.
- Add in the cooked spaghetti on top of the sauce.
- Toss to combine until the sauce coats the spaghetti well.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet, and garnish with parsley before serving.
Tips for making the recipe
- Cook the pasta al-dente. That’s because you’ll be tossing it with the sauce and shrimp for a couple minutes after it’s done cooking and you want to make sure it doesn’t get too soggy.
- Thaw and dry frozen shrimp before cooking. I prefer to buy frozen shrimp, so after I thaw it, I always make sure to dab it dry so the excess moisture doesn’t affect searing the shrimp properly.
- Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. They only require a few minutes of cooking and if you over cook them they will get chewy. Cook until they are opaque pink in color.
- Use milk instead of pasta water for a more creamy texture. I prefer keeping it light with the lemon juice and pasta water because the garlic and butter give it great flavor. But milk is a great option as well!
Frequently asked questions
I like making this dish with long pasta such as spaghetti or linguini, but you can use whatever you have to hand. Penne and shells would both work well. Use a whole grain pasta for extra fiber and to lower the calorie content.
A healthy portion of this pasta dish is a great meal by itself, but I like to serve a smaller portion alongside a fresh caesar salad. If you’d like, try my olive oil garlic bread with it too!
This pasta is best served straight out of the pan. If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge to enjoy the next day.
This garlic shrimp with spaghetti is such a great recipe for a quick and easy weeknight meal. It’s family friendly and packed full of flavor!
More pasta recipes:
- Easy Baked Spaghetti
- Baked Pasta with Ground Turkey
- Arrabiata Pasta with Shrimp
- Healthy Shrimp Scampi
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
- Cheese Stuffed Shells
- Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Garlic Shrimp Pasta recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled deveined
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions; drain well and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt two tablespoons butter. Add shrimp, salt and crushed red pepper, and cook stirring occasionally, until shrimp is opaque pink, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining butter and garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the lemon juice, pasta water and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Transfer the spaghetti to the skillet and toss with the sauce.
- Add the shrimp on top and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- To make it gluten-free, you can use any gluten-free pasta of your choice.
- To make the sauce more creamy, you can add some milk instead of some of the water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
This was soooo delicious! I did use a garlic butter that we happened to have on hand instead of the added garlic and probably doubled the spices because we like lots of flavor but it was absolutely amazing and we will make it again! Thank you! 😊
Aww, love your tweaks! So happy you liked the recipe! Thank you!!
I like your quick recipe! What if you only have a bag of COOKED frozen shrimp in your freezer? Could that still work for this recipe? Asking for those possible situations?
Yes, I think that should work all right! I would simply follow the instructions but just cook in the pan for a minute or two to get some of the flavor before removing from heat. Hope that helps!
Peeled the shells off the shrimp and boiled them in the water I used for cooking the pasta. Doing this bumps up the the shrimp flavor. We’ve enjoyed making this shrimp spaghetti for recipe for a couple years. It’s our favorite pasta dish.
Aww, thank you so much! So glad you love the recipe! Cooking the pasta in shrimp water is a great tip, thanks so much for sharing!!
Great meal. Fast & easy. Only change I made was to add a splash of white wine. Sooo good
So happy you liked it! Yay!! Thank you!
I’ve make this at least once per month, tweaking as I go… Using 1/2 and 1/2 white wine and pasta water, adding same oregano/basil..
Love how you’re making it your own! That’s great. Thanks, Teresa!!
Fantastic! I turned the shrimp after about a minute, and added the garlic, red pepper flakes, then lemon and pasta water. Offed the heat, then grated parm over the pan and added fresh chopped parsley. Simple, NOT doused with cream, and delicious!!
Yay, so glad you liked it!! Thank you!
Yummy, made it tonight. Wife loved it. It was quick, easy and tasty! Will make it again. Thanks!
Amazing! So glad to hear you and your wife loved it!! Thanks!
Made this for the first time tonight. Hubby is going through chemo and sometimes foods taste odd. Well he loved it! Thanks for the great, quick idea. Served with just a tossed green salad. Yummy.
Aww, I’m so happy you were both able to enjoy it!! Thank you, Nora!
I liked the ingredients and really was looking forward to trying this, but it was somewhat bland, even with fresh ingredients. The sauce just didn’t have enough flavor and half the garlic and Parmesan just stuck to the pan.
So sorry to hear you didn’t like it, Diana. Thank you for the feedback.
You probably put the parm in with too much heat. Off the heat before adding the cheese!
Love it
Yay thanks, Nancy!