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Nut Free
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
Enjoy a hefty bowl of garlic butter shrimp pasta tossed in a homemade white wine sauce! The thin capellini noodles pair perfectly with the fresh buttery seafood, and the white wine sauce adds a fresh component that you won’t want to miss!
Why You’ll Love Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
This garlic butter shrimp tossed in white wine sauce and served over capellini pasta is going to change your life! The light sauce made from simple ingredients and spices is worth the few minutes it takes to mix it all together.
If you’re an Italian food lover and enjoy shrimp scampi, delicious pasta, white wine, butter, or some combination of those ingredients, you’re going to love this five-star dinner dish that the whole family will enjoy! This garlic shrimp pasta pairs well with a side of fresh asparagus, roasted zucchini, or Brussels sprouts.
This simple recipe doesn’t have the additives that store-bought pasta sauce has, and it’s cheaper! You can enjoy this flavorful weeknight dinner knowing you’re eating fresh ingredients and didn’t break the bank.
Recipe Highlights
- Light and refreshing pasta dish
- Not a whole lot of dairy! No cream, just cheese. If you’re lactose sensitive, this pasta recipe is for you. With just a tinge of parmesan cheese and no heavy cream at all, you can fly right by the dairy section in the grocery store.
- Shrimp has vitamin B12 and choline.
- Customizable – if you don’t want shrimp, do veggies or something else.
Key Ingredients for Shrimp Pasta with Simple White Wine Sauce
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Capellini Pasta – Italian capellini is a very thin kind of pasta (you can use angel hair as a substitute). For best results, cook the pasta according to the package so that it is al dente. Make sure to not over-boil the pasta or it’ll get too soggy.
- Water – to cook the pasta in.
- Salt – for the pasta water.
- Shrimp – You’ll need raw shrimp that will be cooked with butter, salt, and paprika to spice it up.
White Wine Sauce
- Olive oil – starts off the sauce, cooking with yellow onion.
- Garlic – adds rich flavor and anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Lemon juice – adds that splash of citrus that’s well-loved in Italian recipes.
- White wine – is the star of the show in this easy sauce recipe. Use a crisp, dry white.
- Parmesan cheese – adds smoothness.
- Fresh parsley leaves – sprinkled on top and enjoyed!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
How to Make Shrimp Pasta
Step 1: Cook Pasta
Cook your capellini pasta per the instructions on the box. Be sure to not over-boil it. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and then drain the rest of the pasta. Put the pasta back into the pot and stir in the reserved 1/4 cup of water to loosen the pasta.
Step 2: Sear Shrimp
While the water boils and the pasta cooks, heat up a skillet for shrimp with a tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add in shrimp, salt, and paprika, and give it a good stir. Sear the shrimp till both sides are cooked, which should take about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the skillet.
Step 3: Cook Onion
In the same skillet – on medium heat – add olive oil and thinly chopped onion. Cook until the onion is soft and clear, which should take 4-5 minutes.
Step 4: Add Garlic and Lemon
Add in minced garlic, and give it about thirty seconds for the flavors to come together. Then add the juice from half a lemon.
Step 5: Add White Wine + Cheese
Then, stir in the white wine. Once it’s incorporated, stir in the parmesan cheese, and then the chopped fresh parsley. Stir in a pinch of salt and then turn off the heat.
Step 6: Combine
Combine the shrimp with the pasta and white wine sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
While they’re very similar, capellini and angel hair pasta are not the same. Angel hair is actually thinner than capellini. They are typically able to be used interchangeably, but consider your textures when deciding.
A simple salad would be an amazing complement to this fresh pasta! You could also serve it with a soft dinner roll.
Cooking shrimp with salt allows the shrimp to retain moisture. Of course, it also adds some flavor!
For this recipe, I’d recommend something dry and crisp. That means a pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, or chardonnay would work (and make a great beverage to enjoy with dinner!
Variations
While this is a dish recipe for pasta and shrimp, you can skip the shrimp or substitute it for mushrooms, lobster, or spinach.
The taste of the noodles should not change, but I find the light buttery sauce stands out more with a low-calorie, light protein, like shrimp. You can use frozen shrimp or fresh – just keep in mind the cooking time will increase with frozen shrimp.
More Pasta Recipes To Try
- Shrimp Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce
- Dairy-Free Pasta Salad with Chicken and Roasted Vegetables
- Baked Feta Pasta – from the social media trend!
- Easy Pasta Carbonara with Pancetta
More Pasta Shrimp Recipes to Make
If you tried this Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you enjoyed it in the📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
Equipment
- garlic press
Ingredients
- ½ lb capellini pasta
- water
- salt
- 1 lb shrimp
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
For the white sauce:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta per instructions on the box. It take a few minute for capellini pasta to cook in boiled salted water, so don't over boil it. When pasta is ready, reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. Then drain the rest of the pasta. Put pasta back into the pot and stir in the reserved ¼ cup of water to loosen the pasta.½ lb capellini pasta, salt, water
- While the water boils and the pasta cooks, heat up a skillet for shrimp. Melt 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add in shrimp, salt, and paprika. Give it a good stir. Sear the shrimp till bought sides are cooked (about 2 minutes) Take shrimp out.1 lb shrimp, 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp paprika
- In the same skillet, on medium heat add in olive oil and thinly chopped onion. Cook until the onion is soft and clear (4-5 minutes).1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 small yellow onion,
- Add in minced garlic, give it about thirty seconds for the flavors to come together. Then add in juice from ½ a lemon.3 cloves garlic,, ½ lemon,
- Then, stir in the white wine, parmesan cheese and parsley.¼ cup white wine
- Add pinch of salt. Turn off heat.salt
- Combine shrimp to pasta and the white wine sauce.
Notes
- Make sure to reserve the 1/4 cup of pasta water, it makes a big difference when adding it back into the pasta.
- You can also use angel hair pasta.