Shrimp Scampi
This Shrimp Scampi recipe has a buttery white wine sauce with garlic, diced tomatoes, and angel hair pasta! Your family will love this restaurant quality meal! Bonus: It’s really easy to make!
Be sure to serve this with a side of my no knead bread to sop up that incredible sauce!
Shrimp Scampi
This Shrimp Scampi recipe is packed with restaurant quality flavor, it’s hard to believe that it’s a 30 minute meal! It has a buttery, garlicky, white wine sauce with Parmesan cheese, chicken broth and the best combination of seasonings. Angel hair pasta gets tossed in this amazing sauce along with fresh shrimp and diced tomatoes. We have never had leftovers with this meal!
Be sure to check out my PRO tips below, including tips for cooking with shrimp, the best wine varieties to use for this, a wine substitute option, my go-to Parmesan cheese of choice, and more!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Sauté the shrimp in olive oil and set aside. Deglaze the skillet with white wine and reduce by half. Add the butter and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth/seasonings and simmer while the pasta boils. Drain pasta and reserve some pasta water. Add the pasta water and Parmesan cheese to a jar with a lid and shake to combine. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and pour the cheese mixture on top. Toss to combine.
Add the shrimp and diced tomatoes. Toss to coat and heat through. Squeeze with fresh lemons and garnish with parsley. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Pro Tips
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Cheese: I use Belgioioso Parmesan cheese for this recipe.
- Grate the cheese from a wedge as it will melt and taste much better.
- Instead of fresh tomatoes, drained Rotel tomatoes can add a little kick to this dish.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning: I like to top this off with a little of this Lemon Pepper Seasoning, it also contains sea salt and has a lot of great flavor. (Use promo code ‘COZY‘ for 15% off.) Some brands (like McCormick) can be pretty potent so I really only use this brand. It’s totally optional in this recipe.
Tips for Cooking With Shrimp
- Size: 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 them under cool water until completely thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/veins.
- Shrimp can go from cooked to overcooked very quickly, consider setting a timer to avoid overcooking. One 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.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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.
- Box cheese grater – Cheese based soups and sauces should always be made with freshly grated/shredded cheese, as it melts much creamier.
- Pasta Strainer– I have this one and love it.
- Kitchen Tongs– Easy for handling/flipping the shrimp.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
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Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
Scampi
- 8 oz. angel hair pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. large uncooked shrimp, see notes
- ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
- 5 Tablespoons salted butter
- 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup freshly diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
- 1 fresh lemon, cut into wedges
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded from a block
- ½ cup pasta water
- Salt/Pepper
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon EACH: dried oregano, basil, mustard powder, seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: smoked paprika, black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
Prep Work
- Combine the chicken broth and seasonings and set aside. Measure out all remaining ingredients before beginning, as this recipe goes fast. Place the Parmesan cheese in a small jar with a lid. We’ll be adding pasta water to it and shaking to combine before adding it to the pasta.
- Thaw the shrimp completely (if frozen) and pat the surface dry. You may also need to remove the shell, tail, and veins.
Make the Scampi
- Begin boiling pasta water. Salt the pasta water generously once a boil is reached.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side. Tilt the pan to transfer the shrimp onto a plate. Note that they’ll cook a little bit more as they sit, and again when added back to the sauce.
- Turn the heat off and add the white wine. Set the heat to medium and let the wine simmer and reduce by half, 4-5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low add the garlic and butter and cook for 1-2 minutes. (A lower temperature ensures that the butter doesn’t separate.)
- Add the chicken broth and seasonings. Let it simmer gently for 5-6 minutes to reduce and concentrate.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. Set a timer to avoid overcooking. Scoop ½ cup pasta water from the pot and drain the rest. Add the pasta water to the jar with the Parmesan cheese and shake to thoroughly to combine.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Pour the Parmesan cheese mixture on top and use kitchen tongs to toss and coat.
- Add the shrimp and tomatoes and toss to combine and heat through.
- Taste and season with additional salt if desired. (Freshly cracked lemon pepper seasoning is also great. -See notes.) Remove from heat.
- Squeeze 2-3 lemon wedges over the dish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with remaining lemon wedges and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- 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.
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Cheese: I use Belgioioso Parmesan cheese for this recipe.
- Grate the cheese from a wedge as it will melt and taste much better.
- Instead of fresh tomatoes, drained Rotel tomatoes can add a little kick to this dish.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning: I like to top this off with a little of this Lemon Pepper Seasoning, it also contains sea salt and has a lot of great flavor. (Use promo code 'COZY' for 15% off.) Some brands (like McCormick) can be pretty potent so I really only use this brand. It's totally optional in this recipe.
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
I loved this recipe. Flavors were amazing. Something went very wrong with adding the pasta water to the parmesan cheese though. I got a big clump of gooey parmesan. Definitely couldn’t pour it into the skillet. What went wrong? Ended up adding grated parmesean right before serving and it was still delicious.
I’m so happy that you loved it Sandy!! I know we emailed about this but I’d try grating the cheese from a block next time so that it melts better, but I’m glad that you were able to serve it on top of the pasta and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the review! -Stephanie
Definitely restaurant quality!! Husband approved so you know it’s delicious! Asked what he would change/add/remove and he said “nothing …It was perfect as is.” I used half the oregano for personal preference but the recipe was spot on! Thanks for helping me make great food for my family!
Sounds like you nailed it Sharon, nice work!! I’m happy your husband was all about it! Thanks so much for the great comments!🩷
This shrimp scampi recipe was absolutely the best I have ever had. Followed the exact recipe as is. My whole family loved. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you.
That is amazing news Laura!! Wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🩷
Made this tonight; no changes to recipe. It was a BIG HIT! My family is very picky when it comes to Shrimp Scampi and they loved this! Next time I would just increase the pasta and shrimp because we finished every bite and it was just 3 people. The squeeze of lemon at the end is a must!
Nice work Vickie! I’m so happy this was a hit and love that you did the little squeeze of lemon at the end! This is the perfect time of year for this dish, kind of like welcoming in the warmer weather! Thanks so much for the great review!💖
This is the best shrimp scampi recipe I have ever tried! It is so full of flavor! After the pasta and shrimp were eaten, we cleaned the pan dry with garlic bread! Beats any restaurant scampi I’ve had! Follow this step by step and you will not be disappointed!
You did it right Isabel! Garlic bread for soaking up every last bit of sauce is perfect! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review, much appreciated!💗
Wow! This shrimp scampi is easy to prepare and is delicious! The best I have ever had, restaurants included. 🤌🏻
Thanks so much Cindy, I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for the great review!💖
Wow. This turned out so well!! I made a couple of this-is-what-I-had-on-hand changes, adding half of of a minced shallot w/ the garlic [leftover from egg salad I made yesterday] & the grated rind of a lemon. I also used halved cherry tomatoes which I let simmer with the wine reduction to soften them up. I squeezed of a lemon’s juice in with the shrimp. The pasta water with the cheese is a ridiculous hack [there were a couple of clumps, but once they hit the pasta in the reduction sauce they smoothed out perfectly.] The silky sauce coated each little strand of pasta perfectly and was sooooo good! We’re already planning our repeat of the recipe (no shrimp, sub asparagus), and cannot wait until the garden tomatoes are ready. haha So yeah, we loved this. Thank you!
Wahooo! I’m so happy you enjoyed the Shrimp Scampi Nic! I love that you used the pasta water, it’s a great way to adjust the consistency. Thanks so much for the great comments💖
This recipe was absolutely delicious. Huge hit with the fam jam last night. My eldest son stated it was the best dish I’ve ever made🙌
I’m sooo happy that it was a HIT Suki!!! What a compliment from your oldest son as well, wow- you completely made my day, thank you so much!!! -Stephanie
Very good recipe. Husband and I both loved it. The seasonings really added nice flavors. I used a 12 oz box of gluten free penne so increased the broth and pasta water, This made a very generous four big servings. Will make this again!
I’m so happy it was such a success Patti, nice work! I’ll be making this one a lot this summer. Thanks so much for the great review!💖
We are a seafood-loving family so I knew we would love this. But it surprised me how much we loved it. Just because it is a lighter pasta recipe, doesn’t mean it lacks flavor. It was absolutely delicious and I will be making this regularly. My husband and kids all cleaned their plates. Loving the extra Parm on top. Thank you Cozy Cook!
You’re very welcome Trina! I’m so happy it was such a hit with the family! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review💖