Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil bring summertime flavors to a classic dinner of Shrimp Scampi Pasta.
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Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Three ingredients that magically transform into very special recipes when a few simple additions are made. Add toasted bread and you have Bruschetta. Add mozzarella and you’ve just made a classic caprese. This recipe for shrimp scampi pasta takes those simple, classic flavors and with a twirl of a fork wrapped around slinky angel hair pasta puts the fresh taste of summer smack dab on your dinner table.
When the summer temps hit 95 degrees and up, as they do from July through August since I live in the desert mountains of the West, you won’t usually find me in the kitchen cooking over a hot pot on the stove. I’m much more of a grill girl when it comes down to dinnertime in the summertime.
Correction: I’m much more of a watching my guy grill when it comes to dinnertime. That’s why if we’re having shrimp, it’s usually been seasoned and skewered and lit up on the charcoals. But a summer of grilling isn’t always what I’m craving when I’m chilling.
The essence of summer was what I was craving when I saw shrimp at the grocery store and had a bunch of ripe tomatoes on my counter. Toss in some fresh chopped garlic, a handful of basil from the garden and I was on my way to a summer dinner wonderland.
I made this with low-carb pasta, which requires less time to cook than traditional pasta, making it an even quicker cook than usual. Getting me out of the kitchen and back to summertime chilling.
What’s in Shrimp Scampi?
In the spirit of simple summer dinners, I tried to keep the ingredients list for this easy shrimp scampi short and sweet. For this shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta, you’ll need:
- Angel hair pasta
- Kosher salt
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Shrimp
- White wine
- Lemon
- Tomato
- Butter
- Basil
- Parmesan cheese
How to Make Shrimp Scampi Pasta
You’ll first need to salt a pot of water and cook the angel hair pasta according to package instructions. You want the pasta to be al dente (it it’s too mushy, it won’t hold up next to the shrimp). Once the pasta is cooked, reserve a bit of the cooking water before draining.
Meanwhile, sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil just until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook until pink throughout.
Add in the wine, lemon juice, tomatoes, and butter, and cook until the butter is melted. Gently stir in the drained pasta and pour in a little pasta water to make the shrimp scampi more saucy, if desired. Garnish your homemade shrimp scampi with torn basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese.
Can I Use Another Type of Pasta?
Angel hair pasta is the usual choice for shrimp scampi, but any long, thin noodle will work. A thin spaghetti would work well here, as would linguine.
Can I Make This in Advance?
I don’t recommend prepping this easy shrimp scampi in advance, no. Shrimp doesn’t reheat well, so you should enjoy this shrimp scampi right away.
Tips for Making Shrimp Scampi
For the best flavor, I recommend using real white wine (not white cooking wine) and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Because this shrimp scampi pasta is so simple, it’s important that you use the best ingredients possible when making it.
Also note that you should generously salt the pasta water before cooking the pasta. You want every layer of this dish to be well seasoned, and bland pasta is a major no-no in this recipe.
Lastly, if you don’t have shrimp or it’s not within your budget, you could try making this pasta with diced chicken breasts instead. You’ll definitely want to season the chicken generously since it’s not as flavorful as shrimp, but I bet it’d work well here!
More Easy Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
- Fresh Tomato and Ricotta Whole Wheat Pasta
- Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Peas
- Easy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Linguine con Vongole (Linguine with Clam Sauce)
- One-Pot Penne Pasta with Turkey and Spinach
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.
Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 ounces angel hair pasta
- kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- ¾ cup white wine
- juice of one lemon
- 1 ½ cups seeded and chopped tomato
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chopped basil
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then salt generously with kosher salt. Add angel hair pasta and cook according for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving ⅓ cup or so of pasta water and set aside.
- While pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the garlic and the red pepper flakes. Cook for one minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add the shrimp and season with kosher salt. Cook for two minutes on one side then flip and cook for another minute or until just cooked through.
- Add white wine, lemon and tomatoes and cook for another two minutes. Add butter and stir until butter melts through. Add pasta and cook to warm through while adding pasta water for more sauce if desired. Garnish basil and parmesan cheese and serve.
Nutrition
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
- My Favorite Shrimp and Grits Recipe
- Grilled Shrimp Vietnamese Spring Rolls
- Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls
- Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
- Saucy Greek Baked Shrimp
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This Shrimp Scampi is honestly beyond delicious! Everyone from our 10-year-old to Pops loved it! There was 1 cup of pasta and 1 shrimp left over and I ate it for lunch the next day. It was still incredible!
Oh Carole, if only there were a few more shrimp left for the leftovers :) I guess that’s what happens when it’s so good you can’t stop eating it. Pleased you all enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment and 5-star rating.
Not sure if anyone tried making it and following the recipe time yet but it seems like either I’m missing something or the cooking times are wayyyy off. First off angel hair cooks in about 4-5 mins not 8. Also with the amount of liquid it needs to simmer because now my dish looks like it’s a noodle soup dish. Super disappointed.
I just wanted to comment since I’ve made this recipe like 5 times and I love it so much! I use thin spaghetti instead of angel hair and I add the zest of the lemon in with the juice. I usually undercook the pasta and finish it in the sauce. Everyone loves this awesome recipe!
Great tasting recipe that is very quick & easy to prepare! For more recipes and “Weight Loss Challenge Tips “please clicks on this link….
I made this yesterday for a family get together. It was a hit!! The kids loved it as well as the adults. I thought I would have leftovers but I didn’t even get to have seconds. Definitely making this again!
Truely the BEST Shrimp pasta meals I ever had. Made this 3 weeks ago, lost the recipe along with wich site it was on…Just found it…cannot wait to make this again,…and again.. love love love it!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing!! Better than any I’ve had at a restaurant! This will be a new family dinner staple. Thank you so much for sharing!
Wow looks right up my street – will have to try! xx
The perfect summer meal! Pinned!
Thanks Shelly, it’s totally a favorite of mine too.
Love this so much! Perfect and simple!
My waistline hates you ;)
This is definitely summer in a plate!! My hubs love chicken scampi. And I cannot survive without shrimp :D
I have been craving shrimp scampi lately and now even more. This looks so fresh!
I LOVE shrimp scampi in the summer. Well all year long but with fresh tomatoes in the summer it is perfection. And your pictures are gorgeous!
Absolutely love this pasta!
This looks gorgeous Heidi! I love shrimp scampi, and holy moly, those shrimp look massive!! :) I could eat this every day!
Love the little bursts of color in this dish. I wish I could dig right in with a fork now! Those flavors!
My husband and I were just talking about how much we love angel hair in the summer. It is so light. I don’t mind cooking pasta in the summer.As long as I don’t have to turn the oven on I am good.
The best part about cooking pasta is quick and easy I for go the big pot of boiling water and just fill my largest skillet with water and place the pasta right in it then turn th burner on hi and within 8 minutes the pasta is done. Quick and doesn’t make the kitchen hot.
That’s such a great tip JoAnn. I’ve been doing that a bit more, similar to what those boxed noodle side dishes do and it works great!
Shrimp!!! These look big and juicy and plump, everything a shrimp should be :) I’m more of a guy watching grilling person too…wait I am the guy!
I’m not a big shrimp person but I am drooling!
xo Jennifer
http://seekingstyleblog.wordpress.com
Damn, looks so good. . I’m making this soon! I have shrimp in the fridge! yummmm!!
What a great Summer pasta recipe.
I seriously need this right now. We took my in-laws out for dinner to celebrate their 60th anniversary last week…to a very nice Italian restaurant. I was craving shrimp scampi and ordered theirs with angel hair. Beyond the shrimp, there was no flavor at all. I’m loving your version. Any left? Seriously.
Summer Pasta Perfection!
This looks like the perfect summer dish! Yum!
This looks perfect. Great summer meal!
This is pretty much my mum’s favourite dish in the world. Perhaps I should be a very nice daughter and surprise her with it one day?
Shrimp Scampi is made with butter. I make it with 1 stick of butter and 4 garlic cloves chopped fine. I make angel hair pasta. Then I put the shrimp and several scoops of the garlic butter over the shrimp and pasta. Fantastic because I use actual Shrimp Scampi. this recipe is bland and not very tasty.
Sorry you feel that way Larry. Thanks for your comment!