20 minutes or less is all it takes to make this bright garlic shrimp pasta recipe! Prepared Mediterranean-style and tossed in a light sauce with garlic, onions, white wine, and lemon juice. Add your favorite salad to start! Tips and video below.
Shrimp pasta, Mediterranean-style!
We're pasta lovers around here, but there is a reason this one is top of my family's list (along with pasta primavera and this olive oil pasta)!
Shrimp and pasta are a match made in heaven! I'll often serve my shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta. But this time, I tossed the shrimp in a a light Mediterranean sauce--with garlic, fresh tomatoes, white wine, and lemon juice. It is next level delicious.
This garlic shrimp pasta recipe is like fine dining in the comfort of your own home. Best part, you can make it in 20 minutes or less!
Time-Saving Tip: Get your pasta cooking, and while that's happening, go ahead and cook your shrimp and prepare the sauce.
What kind of pasta to use?
Yes, the kind of pasta matters! Long, round pastas like spaghetti or angle hair pasta work really with with our light garlic lemon and wine sauce. Thinner pasta provides a beautiful delicate presentation and allows the elements of this shrimp pasta recipe to shine!
I don't recommend using tube-shaped pasta (like penne or rigatoni) in this recipe; they're better suited for thick sauces like ragu.
And if you're following a strict Mediterranean diet, use whole grain pasta.
How do you cook shrimp for pasta?
Because shrimp cooks quickly, I find it best to cook it separately and then add it to the pasta a few seconds before serving.
In this shrimp and pasta recipe, I simply cook the shrimp in my pan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Depending on the size of the shrimp, this will take about 4 to 5 minutes in total.
How do you know when shrimp is done? It's really easy to tell. Raw shrimp is grey and flappy, but you can tell it's cooked when it turns a pearly pink color. Avoid over-cooking the shrimp, and remember that you'll add them to the pasta for a few more seconds to warm up before serving.
How to make shrimp pasta?
(This is the step-by-step for those who need a visual. The recipe with ingredient measurements is just below)
- Cook the pasta. Get the pasta cooking in boiling water according to package. Remember to add salt. Save a bit of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- Cook the shrimp. Do this while the pasta is cooking to save time. My shrimp took about 4 minutes, cooked in a bit of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. (If your shrimp is frozen, it should be properly thawed before cooking)
- Make the sauce. Remove the shrimp so you can us the same pan. Cook the onions and garlic with a bit of kosher salt, oregano and red pepper flakes (I used Aleppo-style pepper). Cook over medium/medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and allow it to cook for a minute then add the lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Parsley and tomatoes join the party for just a few seconds (30 to 40 seconds or so). You want the tomatoes to still have a good bite.
- Put it all together. Mix in the pasta, and if you need to, add a bit of pasta water. Toss to be sure the pasta is well-coated. Add the cooked shrimp and toss until warmed through.
- To finish, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, more red pepper flakes and parsley to your liking
I like to add a big salad to start. Panzanella (when tomatoes are in season), or this white bean salad for a hearty option.
Make ahead & Storage
- To make this recipe ahead: Cook the pasta and prepare the sauce one night in advance. Store them separately in the fridge in tight-lid containers. Cook the shrimp the next day just before serving. Warm the sauce and the pasta over medium heat, adding a bit of pasta water as needed. Add in the just-cooked shrimp and toss to combine.
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2 nights (assuming the shrimp is fresh or had been properly stored in the freezer before cooking). Warm through over medium heat , adding a little bit if liquid if needed. I like to keep the shrimp out and add it in to warm through just before serving. This will avoid over-cooking the shrimp.
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Shrimp Pasta Recipe, Mediterranean-Style
Ingredients
- ¾ lb thin spaghetti
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)
- Black pepper
- ½ red onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes)
- 1 cup dry white wine I used Pinot Grigio
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- Large handful chopped fresh parsley about 1 cup packed
- 2 to 3 vine ripe tomatoes chopped
- Parmesan cheese to your liking.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package (about 9 minutes). Reserve a little bit of the starchy pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta well.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the shrimp. In a large pan heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering but not smoking. Cook the shrimp on each side for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns pink. Transfer the shrimp to a side plate for now.
- In the same pan add a little more extra virgin olive oil, if needed. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onions, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes (I used Aleppo-style pepper). Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine to the pan and scrape up any pieces of garlic and onions. Cook the wine for 1 minute to reduce then add the lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Add the chopped parsley and tomatoes, toss about for about 30 to 40 seconds. Season with Kosher salt.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan, and toss to coat. Add some of the pasta starchy water if you need to.
- Finally, add the cooked shrimp. Allow the shrimp to warm through briefly (another 30 seconds), then remove the pasta from heat.
- To finish, sprinkle a little grated parmesan cheese and more red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper. Serve immediately!
Video
Notes
- To make this recipe ahead: Cook the pasta and prepare the sauce one night in advance. Store them separately in the fridge in tight-lid containers. Don't cook the shrimp until just before serving. Warm the sauce and the pasta over medium heat, adding a bit of pasta water as needed. Add the cooked shrimp and follow the recipe.
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2 nights.
- Visit our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oil and all-natural and organic spices.
Love this Shrimp Pasta recipe! Could you tell me the name of the All Clad oval heating/serving cookware? Can't find it anywhere- thanks!
Hi, Mark! Here is a link for the All Clad piece I use here: https://amzn.to/3cXcnKj.
This is another recipe from this site to add to our favorites! It was a big hit in my house.
Awesome! Thanks, Lisa!
Hi, Suzy, I'm so glad I found you! Just recently figured out that dairy is causing IBS flare ups. Your recipes are really helping me learn how to eliminate dairy from my cooking. We love eating this way.
Question: I'm not good with cooking seafood. I keep cleaned, cooked shrimp in my freezer. How can I use this in your recipes? Is it just a matter of warming it up and seasoning it?
Hi, Kim! Welcome to The Mediterranean Dish! Yes, if you are using shrimp that is already cooked, you really just want to throw it in at the end of the recipe to heat up. If you leave it there too long, it will become over cooked.
My husband and I loved this! I used a touch more olive oil than the recipe indicated. The flavors were outstanding.
Thanks, Linda!
I’ve made this twice, forgetting what I didn’t like the first time. I use a lot of your recipes, and enjoy them , but this one needs some adjustment. I found that there was too much wine, and the addition of the lemon and zest (which I use a lot in cooking) gave this dish a bitter/sour taste. I’m not sure what it needs, but I think it should be reviewed. Hope you can adjust the recipe, I use a lot of shrimp and always needs to find new ways to cook them.
That said, I make your souvlaki chicken all the time, get lots of compliments.
I just made this for the first time & found the same thing — as soon as I added all the lemon & zest its aroma immediately overpowered the others, which worried me.
Unfortunately, I also found it lent a bitter/sour flavor to the dish. I loved everything else about this recipe so I’ll try it again, but will cut the lemon in half, if not more.
Try washing and rinsing the lemon thoroughly before juicing and zesting it to get rid of all of the germs, pesticide residues, dirt, etc. that could affect the flavor of your food! One lemon (unless it's a ridiculously huge lemon, lol!) is not enough to overpower a pot full of pasta!
Using only one lemon (it's zest and juice) would not overpower a pot full of pasta noodles, unless you used an extraordinarily large lemon! Did you take care to wash the lemon thoroughly before zesting and juicing it? You must wash and rinse all produce thoroughly before consuming it to remove germs, pesticide residues, dirt, etc. This recipe is amazingly delicious as is...and the majority of reviewers agree, so, tbch, you and David below must have done something wrong, just sayin'! I've cooked lots and lots of Suzy's recipes and they always turn out great! Thanks, Suzy!
Hi Suzy
You use alot of extra virgin olive oil. What about extra fine olive oil?
Cheers
Selena
Hi, Selena! I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with "extra fine olive oil." Did you mean to type something else?
So yummy!!
I used vegetable broth instead of the wine. I loved it.
Awesome! I'm so glad that worked out for you. Thanks for sharing!!
Another delicious recipe! My son loved it!! I love that it took me a very short time to make this dinner!
Wonderful! That's so great to hear!
What could I use instead of the wine?
Hi, Evelyn! You can use a bit of broth in place of the wine. The flavor profile will be a little different, but it will provide the liquid needed for the sauce.
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You are very sweet, Van. Thank you!
Super good and family loved it thank you!!
That's great to hear! Thanks, Diane!
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I prepare a lot of Mediterranean dishes but this one hits it out of the ballpark! Definitely a new go to recipe for my husband and me and can’t wait to cook it for friends and family. Thanks Suzy!!!
My pleasure, Megan! So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was fantastic! Bright, flavorful, and delicious. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Henna!
This pasta looks so delicious! I cannot wait to grab a fork and dig in!
Go for it!!! You'll LOVE it!
Not difficult to prepare and was a nice, light tasting dish with great flavors . I may cut the amount of lemon next time to accommodate wife’s palate. I used a Sicilian white wine (lucido grape). Family agreed it should be “in the rotation”
Awesome! Thanks, Andrew!
I made this recipe and it was so delicious! I can’t wait to make it again!
That's so great to hear! Thanks, Nyla!