This Old Bay garlic shrimp pasta recipe is incredibly delicious and addictive. It's quick and easy as it can be ready in less than 30 minutes. It is inexpensive to make for a weeknight dinner but also elegant enough to serve for a romantic date night or a special occasion.
If you still have some leftover Old Bay or Cajun seasoning in your pantry, make this garlic shrimp pasta tonight.
This Old Bay garlic shrimp pasta will impress everyone at your table... "laissez les bon temps rouler" (let the good times roll)!
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Why You'll Love this Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Here are some reasons why you will love this pasta.
1. This garlic shrimp pasta is loaded with zesty flavor. It's also garlicky and has just the right amount of heat.
2. It's much cheaper, tastier, and healthier than what you'd get at a restaurant.
3. Even though this pasta uses heavy cream as one of the ingredients, it's still light enough to serve for everyday meals. It's lower in calories and fat content than any other creamy pasta recipe you'd find.
4. This recipe is not only easy to prepare but also adjustable. I will show you some tips below on how to make this pasta creamier and saucier if you prefer.
Ingredients for Garlic Shrimp Pasta
To make this garlic shrimp pasta, you'll need the following ingredients.
- Shrimp. In this recipe, I used a pound of peeled and tail-on shrimp (about 21-25 shrimp per pound) so everyone will get enough shrimp to serve with the pasta.
- Old Bay Seasoning. It's a great seasoning for seafood. Old Bay seasoning contains a unique blend of 18 herbs and spices. You can purchase it at any grocery store or on Amazon.com. If you can't find Old Bay seasoning, feel free to substitute it with Cajun seasoning.
- Lemon Juice. Only use a small amount of lemon juice to add freshness and a bright flavor to the shrimp.
- Garlic. Use fresh minced garlic. The amount of garlic that goes into this recipe is adjustable according to your taste. Honestly, though, the garlic adds a flavor bomb to this pasta recipe!
- Shallots. It's optional. I used shallots to add fragrance and sweetness to the pasta. It's milder in flavor compared to an onion.
- Pasta. You can use any long pasta, such as Spaghetti, Fettuccine, or Linguini.
- Heavy Cream. I used a small amount of heavy cream to add richness and creaminess to the pasta.
- White wine. It's used to deglaze the pan. If you are avoiding any alcoholic products, you can use chicken broth instead.
- Other ingredients. Olive oil, unsalted butter, and fresh parsley.
How to Make Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Making this pasta consists of three easy steps.
1. Prepare the Pasta
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to the product packaging until al dente.
- Remove the cooked pasta from the pot. Reserve at least ½ cup of pasta water for later use.
2. Prepare the Shrimp
- In a bowl, combine fresh shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning and lemon juice. Mix well.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and add olive oil. Cook the garlic just until fragrant.
- Add shrimp and cook until it's pink. Remove the shrimp and place it on a plate, then set it aside.
3. Prepare the Sauce
- In the same skillet, melt butter, and cook shallots until translucent. Add garlic and cook until it's fragrant.
- Add white wine and deglaze the pan. Bring to a simmer until the wine is reduced to about a tablespoon.
- Add heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and Old Bay seasoning. Stir and let the cheese melt.
- Add cooked shrimp and parley then stir to combine.
- Lower the heat to a low setting, add the cooked pasta, and toss to coat.
- Add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Adjust the seasoning with more Old Bay Seasoning if necessary.
Tips and Variations
- Creamier but Lighter in Flavor Old Bay Pasta. If you want to make this pasta creamier but lighter in flavor, use ¾ cup of heavy cream instead of ½ cup of heavy cream. This will make this pasta more kid-friendly.
- Creamier, Bolder, and Saucier Old Bay Pasta. Use at least ¾ cup of heavy cream and with some pasta water instead of ½ cup of heavy cream. You also need to increase the amount of Old Bay seasoning that goes into the recipe.
- Pasta water. Don't forget to reserve some pasta water, at least ½ cup. Pasta water can be useful to add flavor, thicken the sauce, and add moisture to the pasta.
- Serving. This pasta is enough to serve up to 6 small servings. Feel free to use more shrimp if needed.
How to Store Leftover Old Bay Shrimp Pasta
- First, let the pasta cool at room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. If properly stored, this pasta lasts up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- For your safety, do not leave leftovers out for more than two hours at room temperature, or one hour when the temperature is over 90°F.
How to Reheat Leftover Pasta
- Place a single serving of shrimp pasta in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Drizzle the pasta with a small amount of water then cover the dish with a microwave-safe lid. Cook for 1 minute at medium heat.
- If the pasta isn't warmed all the way through, stir it, and cook it again in 15-second increments until completely heated.
Check Out More Pasta Recipes
- Quick Lemon Pasta
- Mushroom Broccoli Pasta
- Anchovy Pasta with Capers
- Pasta with Mussels
- Canned Clam Pasta
- Easy Squid Pasta
- Bratwurst Pasta
- Easy Canned Tuna Pasta
- Rotini Pasta with Broccolini and Shrimp
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating.
📖 Recipe
Garlic Shrimp Pasta
This garlic shrimp pasta is inexpensive to make for a weeknight dinner but also elegant enough to serve for a romantic date night or a special occasion.
Equipment
- a large pot
- a deep skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, (peeled, tail-on) - pat dry with paper towels.
- 1½ tablespoons finely minced garlic, (divided)
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning , (divided)
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , (divided)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz dried spaghetti
- ¼ cup finely minced shallots
- ¼ cup dry white wine, (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped parsley, (and more for serving)
- ½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese, (and more for serving)
- salt and black pepper, (to taste)
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to the product packaging until al dente. Reserve at least ½ cup of pasta water for later use.
- In a bowl, combine fresh shrimp with 2 teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning and lemon juice. Mix well.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook ½ tablespoon of minced garlic just until fragrant.
- Add shrimp and cook until it's pink. Remove the shrimp and place it on a plate, then set it aside.
- In the same skillet on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, and cook shallots until translucent. Add 1½ tablespoons of minced garlic and cook until it's fragrant.
- Add white wine and scrape up any crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer until the wine is reduced to about a tablespoon.
- Add heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning. Stir and let the cheese melt. Add cooked shrimp and parsley, then stir to combine.
- Lower the heat to a low setting, add the cooked pasta, and toss to coat.
- Add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Adjust the seasoning with more Old Bay Seasoning, heavy cream, salt, and/or black pepper if necessary. Turn off the heat and serve with extra parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
Salted Water. In this recipe, I use 1 tablespoon of salt per 12 cups of water.
Variations.
- Creamier but Lighter in Flavor Old Bay Pasta. If you want to make this pasta creamier but lighter in flavor, use ¾ cup of heavy cream instead of ½ cup of heavy cream. This will make this pasta more kid-friendly.
- Creamier, Saucier, and Bolder in Flavor Old Bay Pasta. Use at least ¾ cup of heavy cream and at least ½ cup of pasta water instead of ½ cup of heavy cream. You also need to increase the amount of Old Bay seasoning that goes into the recipe until it reaches the desired result.
Nutrition
Calories: 492kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 30gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 232mgPotassium: 256mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 869IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 238mgIron: 3mg
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