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An easy pasta recipe with seasoned sauteed shrimp and your favorite pasta sauce that's ready in 30 minutes with variations for Primavera, Diablo, Alfredo, Carbonara and Pasta alla Vodka!
Author: Mandy Rivers | Updated: 7/7/26I’m so excited about sharing this recipe with you! First of all, it’s CRAZY EASY. You can totally make this on a random Tuesday night but it's impressive enough to serve to guests!
The whole dish is done in the time it takes to cook the pasta. And don’t let the list of ingredients scare you off – half of it is just spices.
Speaking of spices, feel free to just use a blackening seasoning if you’d rather!
The second thing I like is how versatile it is (see recipe variations below)! I used vodka sauce when I made this batch but I’ve made it with chunky spaghetti sauce too and I loved it just as much.
Adding a whack of red pepper flakes to marinara sauce gives the dish a whole “shrimp diablo” vibe. UGHNN! So good!
You could even use bite-sized pieces of chicken instead of the shrimp if you’d like! The possibilities are endless! Ha! I sound like an Olive Garden commercial!
VARIATIONS FOR EASY SHRIMP & PASTA:
- Shrimp Primavera: Angel hair pasta, chunky garden-style spaghetti sauce and add sauteed fresh veggies.
- Shrimp Diablo: Spaghetti, marinara sauce with a hefty amount of red pepper flakes added to the sauce.
- Shrimp Alfredo: Fettuccine and good quality alfredo sauce.
- Shrimp Carbonara: Bucatini or spaghetti with jarred carbonara sauce (or add bacon to alfredo sauce in a pinch!)
- Shrimp alla Vodka Sauce (pictured): Penne pasta and vodka sauce.
If you enjoy easy recipes with shrimp and love Cajun food, Shrimp Delicate (Cajun Shrimp & Rice) is a recipe you should check out too! If you like the Italian vibe of this recipe, another favorite of mine is Chicken Scampi with Garlic Parmesan Rice!
Recipe for Easy Shrimp with Pasta
Easy Shrimp with Pasta
A quick and easy pasta recipe with seasoned sauteed shrimp, your favorite pasta sauce and freshly grated parmesan! This whole dish cooks in the time it takes to cook the pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (see notes)
- 1 24-oz. jar pasta sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta per manufacturer’s instructions for al dente preparation in liberally salted water. Drain pasta; set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, toss the shrimp with spices. 1 tsp each paprika and Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp each salt, pepper, garlic powder
- Drizzle a large skillet with just enough oil to coat the bottom and heat over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add half of the shrimp and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until pink and cooked through. Remove shrimp from skillet, drizzle in a little more oil if necessary, then cook the remaining shrimp. Don’t cook all the shrimp at once to avoid overcrowding the pan – you want sautéed shrimp, not boiled.
- Once all shrimp are cooked and removed from the skillet, add minced garlic then cook 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low then add pasta sauce. Once sauce is heated through, add pasta and half of the shrimp. Gently stir to combine then pour pasta into a medium baking dish or large serving plate.
- Arrange remaining shrimp on top of pasta then top shrimp with parmesan cheese. Garnish with chives if desired.
Notes
Use any type of pasta and sauce you'd like! Here are some combinations I enjoy:
- Shrimp Primavera: Angel hair pasta, chunky garden-style spaghetti sauce and add sauteed fresh veggies.
- Shrimp Diablo: Spaghetti, marinara sauce with a hefty amount of red pepper flakes added to the sauce.
- Shrimp Alfredo: Fettuccine and good quality alfredo sauce.
- Shrimp Carbonara: Bucatini or spaghetti with jarred carbonara sauce (or add bacon to alfredo sauce in a pinch!)
- Shrimp alla Vodka Sauce (pictured): Penne pasta and vodka sauce.
Author: Mandy Rivers
Hi Mandy! what size shrimp did you buy?
ReplyDeleteThe ones in the photo were large according to the bags (I bought frozen). I find that sizing differs a bit between fresh and frozen shrimp. If buying frozen go with large. If buying fresh, these would be more like a medium. I hope that makes sense! But technically, I don't think it matters what size you buy!
DeleteYou are my kinda gal! You love beer, really, really know how to cook and have attitude! Your shrimp dishes are amazing! I have eaten your shrimp and grits twice this week! You are good!!
DeleteIf you buy shrimp from the fish market usually 31-40 count shrimp are medium. the higher the count the smaller the shrimp and the lower count naturally are larger shrimp. the count indicates approximately how many shrimp it takes to make a pound. Hope that helps.
DeleteI would be sorely tempted to omit any tomato sauciness in this recipe and use pasta water and butter to thicken a sauce. The other flavors won't be masked that way. And I always increase any garlic form. Pasta and also shrimp are my weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteVodka and shrimp for tomorrow night (Friday and Lent) I'm in! Since you didn't say when to add the vodka to the recipe I'm assuming I add it to me......LOL
ReplyDelete