This Shrimp Pasta recipe has juicy shrimp smothered in a flavorful cream sauce with diced tomatoes and linguine. It’s a restaurant quality meal that’s easy to make at home!

Be sure to try my Tomato Spinach Pasta and Shrimp Fra Diavolo recipes next!

A skillet of Creamy Shrimp Pasta with diced tomatoes and linguine.

Shrimp Pasta

Just wait until you taste this Shrimp Pasta! This amazing cream sauce has vibrant diced tomatoes and a balanced flavor profile that is truly restaurant quality. Every single bite of this dish leaves you wanting more. 

The shrimp is cooked to juicy perfection, after which the skillet is infused with flavor from a garlicky white wine reduction with the best seasonings and flavor enhancers. You won’t believe this came from your kitchen!

Be sure to check out my tips for cooking with shrimp as well as my PRO tips below! 

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Sauté the shrimp in olive oil for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side, set aside.

Deglaze the skillet with wine and reduce by half.

A plate of cooked shrimp next to a skillet being deglazed with white wine.

Add the butter and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the cream sauce mixture (half and half, chicken broth, hot sauce, honey, and seasonings) in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Making a cream sauce with melted butter, garlic, and a cream sauce with seasonings.

Stir in the cream cheese and add the diced tomatoes. Simmer, partially covered, while you boil the pasta to al dente.

Adding cream cheese and diced tomatoes to a skillet of sauce.

Reduce heat to low and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the drained pasta and toss to combine. Add the shrimp and heat through for 1-2 minutes. Serve!

Adding linguine and shrimp to a creamy sauce for shrimp pasta.

Tips for Cooking with Shrimp

  • The size I use is large, and is labeled as 26/30 per pound. (This means that it takes between 26-30 shrimp to equal a pound.) You can use fresh or frozen.
  • If using frozen shrimp: Run under cool water until thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/veins.
  • Salting Shrimp: Frozen shrimp are typically placed in a brine before being frozen, and the solution in the frozen container is typically salted as well, so there is no need to salt the shrimp prior to cooking.
  • Shrimp can go from cooked to overcooked very quickly, consider setting a timer to avoid overcooking. One great way to mitigate this is to peel them after you sauté them, the shell helps protect them from cooking too quickly.
  • Shrimp curled into a “c” =cooked. A shrimp curled into an “o” = overcooked.

Shrimp and Linguine in a creamy sauce with diced tomatoes.

Pro Tips

  • Wine: Dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio are best in this recipe and pair well with lemon. Chicken Broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Tomato Paste: I use Cento double concentrated tomato paste tubes. It’s more flavorful than a can and it’s easier to measure customized amounts.
  • Pasta: Linguine and Fettuccine are great pasta choices to hold this sauce, as it’s a thicker sauce. Penne or Ziti are great choices as well. 
  • Parmesan Cheese: I use Belgioioso Parmesan cheese. If possible, grate it from a block. Packaged Parmesan cheese doesn’t melt as well in soups and sauces due to anti-caking agents.
  • Cream Cheese: I use Philadelphia cream cheese (To me, it seems to melt better from a tub vs. a block!) To soften it quickly, microwave it for 5 seconds or so.
  • Hot Sauce: I use Frank’s Hot Sauce as a flavor enhancer in this recipe, it’s optional.
  • Honey: I use this to round out the flavor profile, it contrasts the acidity of the tomatoes nicely. (It doesn’t make the dish taste sweet.)
  • Heat: This dish doesn’t have a lot of heat, if you are adverse to any heat, use regular diced tomatoes instead of Rotel and omit the hot sauce and red pepper flakes.
  • Sauce: This recipe makes plenty of sauce to ensure the shrimp gets smothered in it as well. Feel free to boil a little more than 1/2 lb. and add the cooked pasta until your desired sauce-to-pasta ratio is obtained. The pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it sits.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
  • Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form. 

Creamy Shrimp Pasta on a white plate with linguine.

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Shrimp Pasta in a creamy sauce with linguine and diced tomatoes.

Shrimp Pasta

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
4.96 from 23 ratings
Servings: 6 people
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This Shrimp Pasta recipe has juicy shrimp smothered in a flavorful cream sauce with diced tomatoes and linguine. It's a restaurant quality meal that's easy to make at home!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • 1 lb. large uncooked shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 ½ cups half and half, half light cream/half milk
  • ¾ cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, see notes
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 10 oz. Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, juices reserved
  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • ½ lb. linguine

Seasonings

  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried basil, dried oregano, mustard powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes, optional

Instructions

Prep Work:

  • Combine the half and half, chicken broth, hot sauce, honey, and seasonings in a large measuring cup with spout. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
  • Thaw the shrimp completely (if frozen) and pat the surface dry. You may also need to remove the shell, tail, and veins. (Pro Tip: I leave the shell on during cooking as it really helps ensure that the shrimp doesn't get overcooked, which is easy to do. Then I let it cool and remove the shell/tail afterwards.)

Cook the Shrimp:

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side. (Use a timer to avoid overcooking). Tilt the pan to transfer the shrimp onto a clean plate. Note that they’ll cook a little bit more as they sit, and again when added back to the sauce. Turn heat off.

Begin Heating Pasta Water:

  • Begin boiling a separate pot of salted water for the pasta while you prepare the sauce as outlined below.

Make the Sauce:

  • Add the wine to the same skillet that you used to cook the shrimp and set the heat to medium. Let it bubble gently and reduce by half. Add the butter and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and tomato paste and stir continuously for 2 more minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the half and half mixture (from step 1) in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  • Add the cream cheese and stir to combine. Stir in the drained diced tomatoes. (Pro Tip: Reserve the juice for the end in case you prefer to thin the sauce out later.)

Boil Pasta & Finish the Dish:

  • Let the sauce simmer gently, partially covered, while you boil pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Set a timer, don't overcook it. Drain once cooked.
  • Reduce heat of the sauce to low and gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese. Taste the sauce and add a pinch of salt if desired, note that the shrimp adds salty flavor as well.
  • Add the drained pasta and use kitchen tongs to toss and combine. Add the shrimp back and allow it to heat through, 1-2 minutes.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Shrimp: See blog post above about tips for cooking with shrimp, the kind of shrimp that I use, etc.
  • Wine: Dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio are best in this recipe and pair well with lemon. Chicken Broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Tomato Paste: I use Cento double concentrated tomato paste tubes. It's more flavorful than a can and it's easier to measure customized amounts.
  • Pasta: Linguine and Fettuccine are great pasta choices to hold this sauce, as it's a thicker sauce. Penne or Ziti are great choices as well. 
  • Parmesan Cheese: I use Belgioioso Parmesan cheese. If possible, grate it from a block. Packaged Parmesan cheese doesn't melt as well in soups and sauces due to anti-caking agents.
  • Cream Cheese: I use Philadelphia cream cheese (To me, it seems to melt better from a tub vs. a block!) To soften it quickly, microwave it for 5 seconds or so.
  • Hot Sauce: I use Frank's Hot Sauce as a flavor enhancer in this recipe, it's optional.
  • Honey: I use this to round out the flavor profile, it contrasts the acidity of the tomatoes nicely. (It doesn't make the dish taste sweet.)
  • Heat: This dish doesn't have a lot of heat, if you are adverse to any heat, use regular diced tomatoes instead of Rotel and omit the hot sauce and red pepper flakes.
  • Sauce: This recipe makes plenty of sauce to ensure the shrimp gets smothered in it as well. Feel free to boil a little more than 1/2 lb. and add the cooked pasta until your desired sauce-to-pasta ratio is obtained. The pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it sits.
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
  • Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form. 
Nutritional Information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 436kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 171mg, Sodium: 545mg, Potassium: 522mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 638IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 200mg, Iron: 2mg
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Course: Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: American, Italian
Author: Stephanie