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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). If you love seafood cooked in rich butter sauces, these buttered lobster tails are another easy way to bring that same indulgent flavour to the table.
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
- 3 cup 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.
I had to subsitute the fresh onion and garlic with powder form and marinara with diced tomatoes but it turned out delicious! I also added a cup of spinach. I will definitely be making this again!
Oh my…my dinner plans got cancelled and I had no idea what to make for dinner. I had shrimp, so I used that in your recipe. I’m kinda glad my plans were cancelled! This was DELICIOUS! And so fast and easy! Thank you! I followed the recipe exactly, except for the prawns. What a hit!
This really was a great recipe. I ended up substituting basil with oregano and used dried parsley instead of fresh – and it still turned out fabulous. Will definitely make this again.
Butter, garlic, marinara, shrimp and cream. Was pretty good, but I would like to try it again without the cream. I think butter/garlic/marinara might be more focused flavor profile.
Oh my! What a great recipe! I made it from fresh shrimps that we bought today at the fishmongers. It was a big hit with our 3 daughters. They said that this is the best shrimp/pasta combo that they have ever had and that I am a great cook 🙂 But the merit is not mine, I just followed the recipe. I will definitely make this regularly 🙂
Trying this tonight! Has anyone made this recipe doubled? I’m having 6 people and the recipe says it serves 4. Or should I just add a little more of the ingredients as I go?
This is so delicious that I wouldn’t hesitate to double the recipe. I love it left over so I usually have it for lunch the next day.
Can I use thawed frozen prawns?
I made it today
It was great , my family and I loved it
Thank u so much. Great recipe ?
I didn’t have marinara sauce, so I made it myself
This recipe is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made! In fact, I love it so much that I made it twice this week, and plan to make it once a week from now on! Thank you Karina!! I wish I could give it a thousand stars!
Hello! In the directions it doesn’t say when the divided black pepper is supposed to be added, or the pinch of sugar. I made this last night, and just added the pepper and sugar when I added the passata. I hope I did it right! Either way, it turned out to be amazing! Thank you so much!
Yes you did! Thank you Danielle! I’m so glad it turned out!
I’m glad you replied 🙂 My Dad and I are making this recipe right now and came back to the reviews to see if anyone was talking about the mysterious divided pepper. lol
This is fabulous, extremely flavoursome and great for quick meal with tossed salad for unexpected guests