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This easy and healthy Italian shrimp pasta is one of the best shrimp pasta recipes ever! This shrimp and pasta is made of spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce.
Shrimp Pasta Recipes
I love Italian recipes, and this recipe is one of the best shrimp and pasta dishes ever!
This authentic Italian shrimp spaghetti is just like how it’s served in restaurants in Italy.
I spoke to chefs, home cooks, and restaurateurs while traveling in Italy. I learned so much about cooking pasta and how to make easy shrimp pasta, just like the Italians!
The recipe is 100% authentic, homemade, and takes less than 20 minutes.
The taste is spot on, and this is the BEST pasta I have ever made in my life!
For more easy shrimp recipes, check out my sauteed shrimp and Shrimp and Spinach Pasta recipes!
Ingredients
- Shrimp
- Garlic
- Ground black pepper
- Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Campari tomato
- Chicken broth
- Chicken bouillon powder
- Spaghetti
- Italian parsley
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Shrimp Spaghetti
Step 1: Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the spaghetti al dente, according to package instruction.
Step 2: In a skillet or pan on medium-low heat, add the extra virgin olive oil. Saute the garlic until sizzling but not browned. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and chicken bouillon. As soon as it bubbles, add the shrimp. Cook and stir until the shrimps are cooked and the tomatoes break down.
Step 3: Add the spaghetti, salt and generous dose of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine well. Turn off the heat.
Step 4: Top the Shrimp Pasta with chopped Italian parsley and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
For the most amazing shrimp and pasta recipes, here are my cooking tips and techniques:
- Cook the spaghetti al dente. Al dente in Italy is completely different from al dente in America. You want to under cook the spaghetti pasta slightly so every strand of has a firm bite.
- For the best results, use big shrimp or jumbo prawn. Shrimp imparts a sweet and briny taste to the sauce, making this recipe absolutely delicious.
- Do not use frozen shrimp in a bag. They are mostly tasteless and had been treated with chemicals. Buy fresh shrimp with shells and heads, if you can. I used frozen shrimp in a paper box from Asian stores, imported from Central America. I shelled and deveined the shrimp and butterflied them. They are sweet and briny, very close to the amazing sweet and fresh shrimp found in Italy.
- You may cut the shrimp into big pieces or butterfly the shrimp. I chose to butterfly them as they look pretty.
- Use Campari tomatoes for the best flavors as they are high in sugar level and low acidity.
Traditional Italian Meal Structure
Italians take their meals very seriously. Traditional Italian meals start with Antipasti (starter or appetizer).
Your main course begins with Primi, which includes various kinds and shapes of pasta, risotto, polenta and gnocchi. The course of meal continues to Secondi, which is a meat or seafood option.
The rest of the meals include Contorni (Side Dishes), Insalata (Salad), Formaggi (Cheese), Dolce (Dessert), Caffe (Coffee) and Digestivo (Alcohol Drinks).
Eating is a serious business in Italy and I absolutely love that. That’s why Italy is my #1 European country. I absolutely love Italy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this recipe is very healthy because the ingredients are healthy, for examples: olive oil and tomatoes.
Yes, you can.
To make this into creamy shrimp pasta, add 2 tablespoons of whipping cream to the tomato sauce.
This recipe is only 397 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This Italian dish is best served with focaccia bread, garlic bread. For a wholesome Italian meal and easy weeknight dinner at home, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Shrimp Pasta Recipes You Might Like
Italian Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 oz. spaghetti pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 4 oz. Campari tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 4 oz. shrimp , peeled and deveined, or jumbo prawn, butterflied
- 3/4 teaspoon salt , or more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente, according to the package instructions.
- In a skillet or pan over medium-low heat, add the extra virgin olive oil. Sauté the garlic until sizzling but not browned. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and chicken bouillon. Once it starts to bubble, add the shrimp. Cook and stir until the shrimp are cooked through and the tomatoes break down.
- Add the spaghetti, salt, and a generous dose of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine well, then turn off the heat.
- Top the shrimp pasta with chopped Italian parsley and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Cook the spaghetti al dente. Al dente in Italy is completely different from al dente in America. You want to under cook the spaghetti pasta slightly so every strand of has a firm bite.
- For the best results, use big shrimp or jumbo prawn. Shrimp imparts a sweet and briny taste to the sauce, making this recipe absolutely delicious.
- Do not use frozen shrimp in a bag. They are mostly tasteless and had been treated with chemicals. Buy fresh shrimp with shells and heads, if you can. I used frozen shrimp in a paper box from Asian stores, imported from Central America. I shelled and deveined the shrimp and butterflied them. They are sweet and briny, very close to the amazing sweet and fresh shrimp found in Italy.
- You may cut the shrimp into big pieces or butterfly the shrimp. I chose to butterfly them as they look pretty.
- Use Campari tomatoes for the best flavors as they are high in sugar level and low acidity.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to prepare chicken broth?
Is there any method you care to share?
Canned chicken broth.
What’s the easiest way to make the chicken broth?
Canned chicken broth or just cook whole chicken in a slow cooker or Instant Pot with water.
This is one of the best shrimp pasta recipes ever!
This was SO good. I added a few crushed red pepper flakes and some Italian seasoning when the broth was added. Threw in a handful of baby spinach and stirred at the end. Really delicious! Also quadrupled the recipe for all ingredients, leaving oil as instructed in original recipe to feed my family. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jenn thanks for trying this Italian shrimp pasta recipe. I am so glad that you like my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Very easy to make and I loved the flavor.
Awesome Dee. Yes this Italian shrimp pasta tastes just like the ones in Italy!
The BEST shrimp pasta ever. Better than any regular Italian restaurants I’ve tried.
Awesome thanks Lee. Please try out more recipes on my site, they are all easy and delicious: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
I’ve been looking for a good shrimp pasta that packs in a bunch of flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I know my son will love it.
Would this be good over rice?
I wouldn’t serve shrimp pasta over rice.
Rice in place of the pasta?
No. It’s a pasta dish.
This is so good! I modified it with what I had on hand (no compari tomatoes, to start).
Since I was using canned tomatoes, I skipped the chicken broth and bouillon. I finely diced three fat cloves of garlic, sauteing them briefly in olive oil, then dumped in the can of tomatoes, brought them to a simmer. I added several shakes of red pepper flakes, a little bit of salt (only a little because I heavily salt the pasta water). Given the timing of the pasta water coming to a boil and the pasta cooking, I was concerned about the volume of liquid in the tomatoes, so I added a shot or two of vodka. When the pasta was nearly ready, I threw about 10 very large shrimp in that had been cut into bite size pieces (because I”m lazy and it’s easier to cut them before they go in the pan than after they’re on my plate). If shrimp are cooked too long, they get tough, so I watched them closely to make sure they were still just slightly underdone when I drained the pasta (reserving a cup of pasta water) and tossed that into the pan with the sauce and shrimp, tossing it together to coat the pasta and finishing the cooking of the shrimp. I then threw in a swirl of olive oil and finely chopped fresh basil., and it was FANTASTIC!
Not exactly your recipe but without your recipe, I would never have thought to do this. So thank you very much!
Hi Karen, sounds very delicious, yummy! Next time try to follow my recipes, you might like the Italian Shrimp pasta recipe I have here. :)
I had the leftovers for dinner last night – cold from the fridge – and I have to say BRAVO! It was even better cold last night than it was the first time, when it was fantastic!
Hey Karen, awww, so happy to hear that you love the Italian shrimp pasta so much! :)
So, in other words, you didn’t make THIS pasta but you wanted to share YOUR recipe?
Hi Bee! I love your recipes! Can I use a whole pound of spaghetti? And if I do, would I just quadruple the rest of ingredients?
Hi Jane, yes it should work the same. Might need to cut down on the salt and add to your taste. :)