Shrimp pasta recipe with lemon garlic sauce served with zucchini and tomatoes. A simple, healthy meal prepared in only 30 minutes.
how to make shrimp pasta
Shrimp pasta mixed in a lemon garlic sauce is always a dinner favorite at our house when we crave a lighter meal. The recipe is a fusion of pappardelle ribbon noodle pasta with succulent shrimp and delicious vegetables.
Unlike a hearty beef bolognese sauce, these noodles are tossed in lemon garlic and pepper sauce. If you are in the mood for a quick pasta dinner with seafood and vegetables, this recipe will make your taste buds rejoice! When I’m in a time crunch or looking to switch up the repetitive chicken or fish dinner, shrimp is my go-to seafood. It cooks within minutes and can be easily prepared by even novice cooks.
Shrimp selection
There are a variety of shrimp sizes available at the market. I find that the names can be confusing, so I look for the “count” per pound.
Pasta shape
The sauce is very light, noodles such as penne and angel hair will capture the sauce nicely. I chose flat ribbon-shaped pappardelle pasta to get a maximum coating on the sauce and seasonings. I found lemon pepper pappardelle pasta at Trader Joe’s grocery store. The zesty lemon and spicy black pepper add a nice kick.
Sauce
Matching pasta with a sauce is simple, and the combinations are endless. I decided to gently infuse extra virgin olive oil with minced garlic and red chili flakes. The goal is to transfer the flavors of the garlic into the oil without browning the garlic. The spicy capsaicin also diffuses into the oil so that there is a nice spicy flavor in the sauce.
Vegetables
To make this sauce light and fresh, heat tomatoes until just cooked through and ready to burst. You’ll find when you toss the pasta before serving, the sauteed tomatoes will create a beautiful pink sauce from the sweet flesh. Thinly sliced zucchini is also added and cooks in just minutes.
Often we crank up the heat in our pans to get things going a little quicker from stove to the belly. Just taking a little bit of time to let the ingredients marry together and not overcook the infused olive oil sauce will highlight the natural flavors of the dish.
For this shrimp pasta recipe, you’ll get nice subtle roasted flavors of fragrant garlic with each bite and a little spicy heat from the pepper flakes. Dinner doesn’t get any more irresistible than tossing together fresh jumbo shrimp, spring vegetables, zesty lemon in a little bit of olive oil, garlic, and spices.
Oh man, you should have seen how fast our family devoured these big bowls of shrimp pasta, we couldn’t stop eating it! We were so surprised how much the lemon brightened and lightened up the dish. The jumbo size prawns were perfect with freshly squeezed lemon juice, garlic, zucchini, grape tomatoes, and freshly chopped Italian parsley.
You could also garnish the dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or add pepper for crunch. I would recommend a nice glass of crisp white wine to pair with your meal. Make sure to let me know when you try this recipe and what you think in the comments section below. Mangia Mangia!
More shrimp recipes
How do I prevent overcooking shrimp?
How do you avoid super rubbery shrimp that shrinks down to almost nothing in size? When shrimp is raw, the flesh is a whitish-gray color. As it cooks, the protein turns to an opaque whitish pink color. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes per side for this recipe. The shrimp should curl up into a loose “C” shape when properly cooked. If they have curled up into a tight “O” shape, then you may have risked overcooking. The shrimp is cooked towards the very end of this recipe to reduce overcooking and drying out of the seafood.
Shrimp Pasta with Lemon Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, 16/20 count
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly grated, plus more if needed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups zucchini, ⅛-inch thick slices
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- zest of one lemon, about 1 teaspoon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 8 ounces pappardelle pasta, fresh or dried
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Bring 3 to 4 quarts of salted water to a boil for the pasta. While the water comes to a boil, prepare the shrimp.
- Season shrimp with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, stir to combine.
- In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
- Add sliced zucchini and sauté for 4 minutes, or until just tender.
- Add the sliced grape tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes, until just beginning to soften.
- Add ¼ teaspoon salt to the vegetables and stir to combine. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and reserve.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, and turn heat to medium-low.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes, stir and cook for 2 minutes to ensure that the garlic does not brown or burn. You want the garlic to cook slowly and the flavors to infuse into the oil, turn heat to low if needed.
- Keeping the heat on medium-low, add the seasoned shrimp. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until just pink in color.
- Add lemon juice and zest to the pan, stir to combine.
- Add the cooked zucchini and tomatoes back to the pan, and stir to combine with the shrimp.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook pasta according to manufacturer's directions, until tender.
- Drain the pasta and toss with the shrimp and vegetables. Add more salt and pepper as desired. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Recipe Video
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Rebecca Maas says
This was so good! But I wish it had a little more “sauce”? Any way to have a little liquid for it!?
Jessica Gavin says
I think you could double the amount of lemon juice, and in 1/3 cup vegetable broth/stock or white wine, and let that reduce by half. Then turn down the heat and whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of cold butter to finish the sauce. Let me know if you give it a try!