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 Shrimp Scampi recipe next!
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.
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.
Stir in the cream cheese and add the diced tomatoes. Simmer, partially covered, while you boil the pasta to al dente.
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!
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.
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.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan– The same size as pictured in this recipe.
- Cheese Grater– Always shred your cheese from a block for soups and sauces, it melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the shrimp when searing.
- Pasta Strainer– I have this one and love it.
- Large Measuring Cup with a Spout
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
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Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 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 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
- 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.
This was one of the best dishes I have ever tasted! I left out the mustard and pepper flakes and used sherry instead of white wine. Even my grandson who is 11 loved it. Will definitely make it again. It’s perfect for a dish to serve company.
Great job Pat, I’m so happy it was a success! Extra happy to hear your 11 year old grandson enjoyed it, that can be such a tough age to cook for! Thanks for the great review!💖
This was good. I did season the shrimp with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The recipe is oddly written with how the seasonings are separately listed so that part was harder to follow. I also think the sauce needed a bit more salt but overall, it was tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Diana! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I don’t typically season the shrimp itself as I leave the shell on the shrimp until after I’m done sauteing to ensure it doesn’t overcook.
The seasonings are listed separately so that they can be easily measured together (in a pinch bowl for example, as I always have a lot of seasonings), and so that they can be referred to as “seasonings” in the instructions without having to list each one individually.
I typically include a little bouillon in my sauces to ensure that they have enough salt/depth of flavor, but shrimp is very salty by nature and typically placed in a salty brine before being frozen, adding even more salt, so I wouldn’t generally suggest to add more to the shrimp or sauce for this particular recipe. I do appreciate your thoughts and the review as well! My advice for other readers would be to taste the dish at the end and add salt if needed : )
Delicious! Whole family loved it! I only had penne and used Cholula instead of Frank’s hot sauce, also added to handfuls of baby spinach. Your sauces and techniques are always delicious and easy to follow. Will make again!
I’m sooo happy to hear that it was a HIT Kathleen!! I love that you added baby spinach to this, it fits in perfectly! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you’re the BEST! 🙂 -Stephanie
ooooo how was it with the cholula? Think its better than with franks ret hot?
This was delicious! My husband, who is not a fan of creamy tomato sauces loved it.
Hey Deborah! I’m so happy that you both loved this!! WAHOO!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! -Stephanie
This.is.so.good!!! The only thing i changed was the pasta. All I had was bowties but other than that it was the only thing i changed. Followed the recipe to the T
The recipe was a little hard to follow, the video helped out with that to understand the steps.
OMG I wish i had bread right now to soak up the sauce. This is seriously insane crazy good. I am eating it as I type.
Happy to hear you’re enjoying it as you type Kim! Im pretty much always eating while typing lol! Thanks so much for the great review!💖
I usually dont leave reviews, but this was delightful! Toddler approved too! I accidentally left out all the spices in the spice section and it still turned out fabulous!! It is definitely a keeper!!!
I’m so happy this was toddler approved too Gwenn, such a success!💜 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Dynamite!!! I’ve already passed along the recipe – so delicious and I love all of the TIPS!
I am soooo happy to hear that JJ!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you made my day! Glad you loved the pro tips, thank you for reading them! -Stephanie
Thank you for sharing this recipe this dish was so delicious i will be making it again! It taste just like TGI Friday!
My pleasure Brandon, I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for the great review!😃
I made it boneless chicken breast cooked and cut into cubes it was so good
I’m so happy you liked it with chicken Scott, thanks so much for the great review!💗
This recipe tastes fantastic! My entire family loved it.
I’m so happy the whole family loved it Laura!💖 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!