Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

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Shrimp scampi with pasta — fast, flavorful, and irresistibly garlicky. The perfect weeknight dinner for seafood lovers.

Shrimp scampi with noodles in a large bowl.

Succulent shrimp bathed in a garlicky, white wine and lemon-infused butter sauce—shrimp scampi makes an excellent sauce for pasta. However, in many recipes, the pasta is more of an afterthought, left in need of more flavor and sauce. In this version, both the pasta and the shrimp share the spotlight equally. While you could certainly use any long pasta, my preference is for angel hair or capellini. The thin, delicate strands have a knack for soaking up the garlicky sauce, packing maximum flavor into every bite.

Making shrimp scampi with pasta is fairly simple, but it’s important to watch the shrimp’s cooking time. If you cook them for too long, they can become rubbery. The trick is to take the shrimp off the heat as soon as they turn opaque and pink. Pair shrimp scampi with an arugula salad and dinner is served!

“Have made this delicious recipe a couple of times and am now training my hubby how to make it! We both love it!”

Cat

What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

shrimp scampi with pasta ingredients
  • Angel hair, spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccini: While any long pasta works, angel hair or capellini is perfect for soaking up the sauce.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil: Used to sauté shallots, garlic, and shrimp, adding flavor and preventing sticking.
  • Shallots and garlic: The flavor-packed base for shrimp scampi. With six cloves of garlic in the recipe, it’s the perfect time to dust off your garlic press and put it to good use!
  • Red pepper flakes: Offer a hint of heat; feel free to adjust to taste.
  • Extra-large shrimp: Frozen shrimp are often the best option unless you’re near the coast, as they’re flash-frozen at peak freshness. They thaw quickly and are ready to cook in no time!
  • Dry white wine: Adds acidity and depth to the sauce. Choose an affordable bottle you’d enjoy drinking, and skip “cooking wines,” which often contain salt and additives.
  • Butter: Adds richness and flavor, creating a silky sauce.
  • Lemon juice and zest: Balances the rich sauce with bright, tangy flavor.
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-by-Step Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package instructions.

Wooden pasta scoop with steaming noodles.

Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.

reserved pasta water in glass measuring cup

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.

cooking the shallots in a skillet

Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

adding the garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper to the skillet

Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are pink and just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

adding the shrimp to the skillet

Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

cooked shrimp on plate

Add the wine to the skillet and simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.

simmering the wine in the skillet

Add the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest, some of the reserved cooking water, and salt. Stir until the butter is melted.

Butter, lemon juice and lemon zest, ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, and ½ teaspoon salt simmering in the skillet

Add the pasta and toss until warmed through, adding reserved cooking water if needed. Return the shrimp and juices to the skillet and toss to combine. Stir in the parsley, then serve with lemon wedges.

close up image of shrimp scampi with pasta

Video Tutorial

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Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

Shrimp scampi with pasta — fast, flavorful, and irresistibly garlicky. The perfect weeknight dinner for seafood lovers.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 1 pound (16 oz) angel hair, spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccini
  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup thinly sliced shallots, from 2 to 3 shallots
  • 6 large cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1¼ pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup dry white wine
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 to 2 lemons, plus wedges for serving
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, shrimp, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. Add the butter, lemon juice and lemon zest, ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, and ½ teaspoon salt; stir until the butter is melted. Add the drained pasta and continue to cook, tossing, until the pasta is warmed through, adding more of the reserved cooking water as needed if the pasta seems dry. Return the shrimp and any juices from the plate to the skillet and toss with the pasta. Stir in the parsley, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with lemon wedges.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 925
  • Fat: 38 g
  • Saturated fat: 14 g
  • Carbohydrates: 94 g
  • Sugar: 6 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 45 g
  • Sodium: 187 mg
  • Cholesterol: 274 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • My second day this week cooking a recipe by Jen Segal.
    We are visiting my Dad is his small kitchen in SC. The prep took a little longer because I didn’t have the right tools, but this dish was perfect. Better than I have eaten in restaurants. I didn’t change a thing! My Dad was blown away. Truly delicious.

    • — KarinH on November 5, 2024
    • Reply
  • I made this favorite dish for my sister’s birthday and it was amazing. So good!

    • — Karen D Cervantes on October 27, 2024
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn, I made yesterday the spaghetti with shrimps for our Greek friends. We all loved it!!
    The taste is so real Italian. I am Dutch but at the moment for a few months in our house in Greece. I prefer the Italian cuisine more than the Greek cuisine. Thank you!

    • — Jolly Van Hijum on October 24, 2024
    • Reply

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