Creamy Shrimp Tomato Pasta

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Creamy Shrimp Tomato Pasta

Creamy Shrimp Tomato Pasta – a meal that looks fancy (and tastes fancy, too) but is ready in less than 30 minutes. This pasta dish is SO delicious and makes a perfect weeknight dinner; it is super easy to make! It is insanely rich and creamy, with perfectly succulent shrimp.

What I love about this recipe is that it isn’t too heavy, but it is filling, so it makes a perfect meal for lunch or dinner. And if you have kids, trust me, they will love it just as much as you do.

You can also just leave out the shrimp altogether and just make the pasta portion. It is just as delicious, and will take even less time in the kitchen.

Ingredients Needed

Here is a list of the simple ingredients that you will need to make this incredibly delicious Creamy Shrimp Tomato Pasta!

Shrimp: using large shrimp is best for this recipe, to ensure you get enough succulent shrimp in your meal. You’ll want to remove the head, if necessary, peel + devein the shrimp.

Butter + flour: these two ingredients will create the roux, which creates a rich and creamy sauce when combined with the milk.

Onion + garlic: these aromatics flavour the dish perfectly. I find grating the onion and garlic helps it to melt into the sauce, which creates a smoother sauce with a beautiful flavour that is well-blended.

Tomato paste: lately, this has become one of my favourite ingredients to cook with. It offers a rich and deep tomato flavour, which complements the overall dish.

Spices/seasonings: oregano, thyme, and chili flakes are perfect for this dish. It’s minimal but really brings out the flavour in this creamy shrimp tomato pasta recipe.

Evaporated milk: I love using evaporated milk when making a roux because I find it gives a beautiful richness and creaminess to the sauce. You can use regular whole milk if you prefer, but I recommend you give evaporated milk a try!

Pasta water: pasta water is full of starch, so when used in sauces, it helps create a smooth and silky sauce that sticks to and coats the pasta perfectly.

Cheese: the first time I made this recipe, I used cheddar cheese, and it tasted fantastic. I also made this recipe using parmesan, mozzarella, and white cheddar, and each time, it tasted delicious. The point is, you can use whatever cheese you have on hand, or whichever you prefer.

Pasta: I like to use short pasta shapes for this pasta recipe. Rotini, penne, rigatoni, fusilli, ziti, and farfalle all work wonderfully.

Parsley: we use this to garnish the dish for the perfect amount of freshness in this rich and creamy shrimp pasta.

How to Make this Easy Weeknight Dinner

This shrimp pasta recipe is a winner because it is SO SO quick and easy to make. You can have this done and ready in 30 minutes! Follow these simple instructions for the easiest pasta dish ever:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Once cooked, remove 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the remaining water and set pasta aside until ready to use. You can start prepping the other ingredients while the pasta is cooking.

Mix together the shrimp, salt, and black pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and allow to heat up. Add the shrimp to the skillet in one layer and cook for 2-4 minutes before flipping to the other side.

Cook the other side for 2-4 minutes. The shrimp will be pink and opaque once fully cooked. Remove the shrimp from the skillet onto a plate. Cook the remaining shrimp if needed and transfer to the plate. Set cooked shrimp aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet; allow to melt.

Add the onions and cook this for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute. You might see stuck on bits start to release from the bottom (from cooking the shrimp). That is delicious flavour and we want that to happen.

Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the raw flour smell is gone.

Add the tomato paste, oregano, thyme, chili flakes, black pepper, and bouillon cube. Cook this down for 2-3 minutes, ensuring to break up the bouillon cube. Cooking down the tomato paste for a couple of minutes deepens the flavour and also reduces some of the tartness.

Add the evaporated milk and mix everything together well. The sauce will begin to thicken up.

When the evaporated milk has been heated through and the sauce has thickened up, add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and mix well. If you find the sauce needs to be thinned out some more, add another 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add more pasta water as needed until you get a smooth, creamy, and velvety sauce.

Add the cheese and stir until melted. You can now taste the sauce and add salt if needed. Add the cooked pasta and shrimp and gently toss together until everything is evenly coated.

Garnish with fresh parsley and chili flakes. Serve hot and enjoy!

Tips for Creamy Shrimp Tomato Pasta

• Prep in advance: this dish comes together pretty quickly, so I would recommend prepping all of your ingredients before you start cooking. You can also prep the ingredients while the pasta is cooking.
• Use more/less evaporated milk/pasta water: sometimes you just need to play around with the proportions of milk to pasta water, depending on your personal preference. This recipe gives a good baseline, but if you find you like a thicker sauce, use less pasta water. If you want more creaminess, add more evaporated milk. I recommend following what the recipes asks for, then adding more of whatever you choose.
• Choose your cheese: I’ve made this recipe using different cheeses, depending on what I had on hand at the time, and they were equally delicious. Use whichever cheese you have on hand or what you prefer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for more dinner recipes? Try these: Beef and Broccoli, Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos, Marry Me Chicken Pasta, Roasted Cajun Chicken with Potatoes

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Creamy Shrimp Tomato Pasta

Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 30 mins Total Time 35 mins Servings: 4

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Author: Sabrina Cuisine: American, Italian Recipe Keys: Dairy S Seafood

Description

Succulent shrimp and pasta smothered in a rich + creamy tomato sauce.

Ingredients

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Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 ounces pasta (any shape)
• 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon grated onion
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon chili flakes + more for garnish
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1-2 cups reserved pasta water
• ¹⁄₄ cup cheese, shredded (use cheddar, parmesan, or mozzarella)
• salt, to taste
• fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Once pasta is done, reserve about 1-2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the rest of the water from the pasta and set the pasta aside until ready to use. 

2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the shrimp. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well. 

3. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the shrimp to the heated oil and cook for 2-4 minutes on the first side. 

4. Flip the shrimp onto the other side and cook for another 2-4 minutes. The shrimp will be pink and opaque when fully cooked. 

5. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Repeat this process if you need to cook the shrimp in batches. 

6. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet. Allow the butter to melt. 

7. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute. 

8. Add the flour, mixing to combine, and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until you no longer smell a raw flour smell. 

9. Add the tomato paste, oregano, thyme, black pepper, chili flakes, and bouillon cube. Mix everything together and cook for 2-3 minutes, ensuring to break up the bouillon cube. 

10. Add the evaporated milk and stir well. It will start to thicken up as it heats through. 

11. Once the evaporated milk is heated through, add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir to get a smooth and creamy sauce that is not extremely thick. Add more reserved pasta water, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed to thin out the sauce. 

12. Add the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Taste and adjust for salt, if needed. 

13. Add the cooked pasta and shrimp into the cream sauce and stir together gently until everything is evenly coated. 

14. Garnish with fresh parsley and chili flakes. Serve and enjoy! 

Keywords: creamy shrimp tomato pasta, pasta recipes, shrimp pasta, shrimp in creamy tomato sauce, weeknight dinner, easy pasta dishes, evaporated milk

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