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Linguini pasta gets a delicious makeover with this 15-Minute Creamy Tomato Garlic Butter Shrimp! A quick and easy flavourful weeknight or weekend dinner that comes together in minutes!
Shrimp first gets sautéed in buttery garlic and a hint of basil, before being smothered in a creamy marinara sauce (or passata for us over here), with linguini, fettuccine, or your pasta of choice mixed through with a generous amount of parmesan cheese.
Why This Recipe Works
This is one flavour packed shrimp! Even my super picky 7 year old loved this, which is saying A LOT.
My Creamy Shrimp Pasta was already a big hit, but I really wanted to put another spin on it, and add something extra to the creamy sauce. And that’s when I thought- tomatoes! It took me back to my Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Zoodles recipe and how everyone raved about it. That was it! I decided to try a shrimp pasta recipe with those flavors, and that’s exactly what I did.
If you’re looking for a way to change up your pasta game — this is it.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: I used raw jumbo shrimp. You could use medium-sized shrimp too, if that’s what you have at hand.
- Marinara sauce: For that tangy, tomato flavor. You can also use passata if that’s what you have at hand.
- Veggies: I used fresh onion and garlic to make that savory, aromatic base.
- Chicken bouillon: For that flavor.
- Pasta: I used linguine here, but you could use almost any other kind of pasta you like.
- Heavy cream: To add some rich and creamy flavor to the dish. You can also use half and half if that’s what you prefer.
- Parmesan cheese: For the cheesiness. Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese- not the packaged, grated version.
- Herbs: I used a mix of dried basil and fresh parsley. You can also try using other herbs like oregano or thyme if you want to.
- Butter: To saute the shrimp. You can use olive oil instead if you want to. I love using my homemade Garlic Butter for some extra garlicky flavor.
Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How to Make Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Cook pasta: In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set it aside. Remember to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water too.
- Saute aromatics: Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until translucent. Next, add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Pan fry shrimp: Now add the shrimp along with the basil and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.
- Prepare the sauce: Now add the crushed bouillon, sugar, pepper, parsley and the remaining salt. Cook for a minute or two, turn down the heat and add the cream and the Parmesan cheese.
- Add pasta: Now add the pasta and a bit of the pasta water (if needed), and stir well. Season if needed.
- Garnish and serve: Take the skillet off heat and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately!
Pair the creamy tomato garlic butter shrimp with a veggie side. I love teaming it up with my Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter and my Sugar Snap Peas. Sometimes, I also make Balsamic Soy Roasted Mushrooms to pair with it.
If you can’t resist a side of bread with your pasta, try my Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread recipe.
Recipe FAQ’s
I would recommend using long pasta noodles like fettuccine, angel hair, linguine, bucatini or spaghetti.
You can, but you’ll need to defrost it before you use it. Simply place it in the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight. You can then use it the next day!
To quickly thaw frozen shrimp, place the container or bag in a large bowl of water, and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so. Discard the water and add some more water to help it defrost quickly.
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Creamy Tomato Garlic Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 10 ounces linguini dry weight, or any pasta
- 1 yellow onion medium, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound raw jumbo shrimp prawns, peeled and deveined
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 passata or marinara sauce
- 1/2 chicken bullion cube crushed, or 1 teaspoon stock powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- 1 pinch granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup milk or half and half or heavy cream
- 1 handful parmesan cheese grated, to serve
- 1 pinch fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. (While pasta is boiling, prepare shrimp sauce.)
- Heat the butter in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until transparent. Stir in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the shrimp with the basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté shrimp for 2 minutes on one side; flip and continue to sauté on the other side for a further minute.
- Quickly add in the sauce, crushed bullion (or stock powder), parsley, pepper sugar and remaining salt. Allow the sauce to heat through for another minute before adding the milk (or cream). Continue cooking for a further minute or until the shrimp are cooked through.
- Once the pasta is cooked and drained, stir it through the creamy tomato sauce; toss until combined. Season with extra salt if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I make this recipe without adding milk or cream?
Sure you can Roella, it won’t be as creamy though.
We had a last minute dinner guest, and shrimp in our fridge, so tried this very easy and quick recipe, and it did not disappoint!
So delicious! Will def make again…thanks for the recipe!
This was delicious and fairly simple to make! I was really pleased with how flavorful the sauce is and well it sticks to the pasta. Everyone in my family liked it, including my 3 year old.
Thank you Karina! This is a Great, Fast, and Delicious recipe. Dinner was a hit!
We love love love it❣️
I just made this and the bf had two plates and the my son ate his whole plate.. It’s got a lil spice for anyone super sensitive. So good. I won dinner tonight!!
This dish was excellent – flavor similar to penne vodka pasta – fine dining quality – will definitively serve to company. Because it is all blended together at the end, I believe it would be best using a small pasta noodle like farfalle. Used butter, prawns, Rao pasta sauce, half a bullion cube, half and half.
This recipe was absolutely amazing! We desperately wanted to make something different and this recipe didn’t disappoint! Delicious!!