Whip up a pot of shrimp pesto pasta when you need a flavorful 5-ingredient dinner in about 30 minutes!
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If you love easy shrimp recipes, don’t miss this marinated grilled shrimp, this shrimp cocktail, a pot of shrimp ramen, this shrimp and vegetable stir fry, these southern shrimp and grits, this blackened shrimp recipe, and this sheet pan New Orleans bbq shrimp, too!
When it comes to simple shrimp recipes, this pesto shrimp pasta is about as good as it gets! With just a handful of basic ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, you can whip up a flavorful seafood supper in about 30 minutes. It’s perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Use any size shrimp. We love either “Jumbo” (21-25 count per pound) or “Extra-Large” (26-30 count per pound) shrimp, which have great flavor and a “meatier” texture. They’re also more expensive, so take that into consideration and purchase the size that best fits your budget. If you’re using smaller shrimp, you’ll just need to reduce the cooking time slightly.
- If starting with frozen shrimp, thaw the shrimp overnight in the refrigerator or place the frozen shrimp in a colander and run under cold water until thawed. Quick and easy!
- We season the shrimp with our all-purpose seasoning — a simple blend of equal parts garlic powder, kosher salt, dried parsley flakes, dried basil, and dried minced onion. If you don’t want to prepare a batch of the seasoning blend, you can sub with a combination of Italian seasoning and kosher salt.
- Homemade pesto is delicious when fresh basil is in season. The rest of the year (or when pressed for time), a store-bought pesto sauce works great here! This refrigerated pesto is the closest that I’ve found to homemade, but Classico and Rao’s brands are also good.
- Feel free to add veggies to the pasta, such as halved cherry tomatoes or sauteed broccoli or zucchini.
- For a similar dish with chicken and broccoli, try this pesto cream pasta.
How to Make this Shrimp Pesto Pasta Recipe
You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Boil the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. I’ve shown spaghetti here, but you can use another type of pasta such as fettucine, linguine, penne, rigatoni, or rotini. Reserve pasta water to use in the sauce, and drain off the rest.
- Season the shrimp and saute them in olive oil.
- Add the drained noodles, pesto, butter, and pasta cooking water to the pot with the shrimp. The butter adds a creamy richness and silky smoothness to the sauce. Starchy pasta cooking water acts as a natural thickener and binder for the sauce. When combined with the butter and pesto, it helps emulsify the ingredients, creating a cohesive sauce that coats the pasta evenly.
- Serve in individual bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan, fresh basil leaves, or fresh lemon.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the shrimp and pesto pasta with a baguette, focaccia, garlic bread, or no-knead Dutch oven bread to soak up the flavorful sauce. For fresh veggies, try a simple salad dressed with Dijon vinaigrette, a classic Caesar salad, a house salad with candied pecans, sauteed zucchini, garlic roasted broccoli, cucumber tomato onion salad, or roasted yellow squash.
Preparation and Storage Tips
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. I do not recommend freezing the pasta, since it tends to get mushy when thawed.
The shrimp pesto pasta will likely dry out a bit as it cools and sits, so freshen it up with a splash of water, a pat of butter, and some extra pesto sauce when reheating. You can warm individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Alternatively, reheat the shrimp and pasta in a covered saucepan or skillet over low heat just until warm.
Shrimp Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti (or sub with linguine or fettuccine)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined (I use Jumbo or extra larger shrimp, but any size is fine)
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning (or sub with Italian seasoning and kosher salt)
- ¾ cup prepared basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh parsley or basil; a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to the package directions for al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water; drain off the rest.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp; sprinkle with the all-purpose seasoning blend and ground black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp turn pink and opaque, about 3 minutes for jumbo shrimp or less if the shrimp are smaller. Remove from the heat.
- Add the drained pasta, pesto, butter, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the pan with the shrimp. Cook over low heat, tossing gently, just until the butter melts and the ingredients come together, about 1-2 minutes. Add more pasta water, as needed, to thin the sauce.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan, chopped fresh herbs, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Recipe
23 minutes mins
Southern Shrimp and Grits Recipe
25 minutes mins
Honey Garlic Shrimp
15 minutes mins
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