Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Not solely is that this creamy garlic shrimp pasta extremely scrumptious with all that garlic butter parmesan taste, however additionally it is so fast and simple to make!

Easy and quick sufficient for a weeknight dinner, this creamy shrimp pasta can also be restaurant-level good.

Check out the recipe to see a hack for lightening up a usually wealthy and heavy cream-laden dish!

What Sort of Shrimp to Use

The reality is, most of us are going to be coping with frozen shrimp – not contemporary caught. Even the shrimp at most meat counters within the grocery retailer is shrimp that has been frozen and thawed.

I like to make use of giant shrimp for this recipe. The package deal is labeled 21 to 30 shrimp per pound (or thereabouts). However actually any measurement of shrimp can be utilized.

Toss the shrimp with smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

Smoked paprika is the KEY to layers of scrumptious taste on this recipe. In case you don’t have smoked paprika, you should utilize common paprika, but it surely’s value getting your arms on some smoked paprika, I promise.

Cook dinner the shrimp in a skillet in a single layer till fantastically pink and cooked by.

It received’t take lengthy! Shrimp cooks in a short time, and also you don’t need it to overcook.

You’ll probably need to do that in two batches so the pan isn’t too crowded.

Making the Creamy Garlic Butter Sauce

Step one within the creamy sauce is scorching butter and garlic collectively till aromatic. YUM.

Subsequent, you’re going to observe your coronary heart and resolve the way you need to creamify the sauce.

Listed below are your choices:

1. Use heavy cream*. It’s thick and opulent and wealthy and by no means grainy.
2. Use milk + a bit of little bit of cornstarch. It’s gentle (each in texture and energy) and creamy and easy and easy.

I’ve made this recipe with each choices, and actually, every variation is absolutely, actually scrumptious. The heavy cream model makes a barely silkier sauce, however the milk + cornstarch model is great, too, and is normally the way in which I make it.

*Relying on what model of heavy cream you’ve gotten available, you possibly can nonetheless whisk the heavy cream with cornstarch for a thicker sauce. I discover that totally different manufacturers of heavy cream differ fairly a bit in thickness. Heavy cream labeled 38 to 40% cream can be very thick (that’s usually the type I purchase from Costco).

Simmer and Toss

Cook dinner the sauce at a low simmer for only a few minutes till barely thickened. Then add the Parmesan cheese and whisk till the cheese is melted.

Freshly grated Parmesan is greatest right here – it’s going to soften much better than pre-shredded Parmesan cheese.

Necessary Be aware In regards to the Pasta

Useful Timing Tip: begin the water boiling for the pasta on the very starting after which get engaged on the shrimp and sauce. Take a fast break so as to add the pasta. Whereas the pasta cooks, you possibly can end up the opposite elements.

A very powerful factor to recollect about this recipe is that you want to ladle out and reserve a cup or so of the pasta water earlier than draining the pasta!

Each time I’ve made this recipe, I’ve ended up utilizing a very good portion of the reserved pasta water to assist loosen up the sauce. The starchy pasta water amplifies the creaminess of the sauce and helps the pasta not develop into stodgy and sticky.

This pasta advantages vastly from being served instantly. As a result of this dish is gentle on sauce anyway, the longer it sits, the much less creamy it turns into.

You possibly can positively enhance the sauce substances for a saucier pasta, however I discover the sauce quantity within the recipe is an ideal praise to the pasta and shrimp with out being overwhelming.

Apparently, for a light-on-sauce-pasta, I feel the leftovers are FABULOUS, which isn’t at all times the case with leftover pasta.

Heated up barely (or sure, even eaten chilly), the leftovers are extra paying homage to pasta salad than a decadent pasta dish – and it simply actually works for me. As in: Hello, I’m Mel, the leftover hoarder, it’s actual good to satisfy you.

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Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Yield: 6 -7 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook dinner Time: 25 minutes

Whole Time: 40 minutes

Pasta + Shrimp:

• 1 to 2 kilos peeled, deveined shrimp (take away tails, if wanted) – see notice
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika (or common paprika)
• Salt and pepper
• 12 ounces linguine or spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 ½ cups milk (not skim) or heavy cream (see notice!)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• Chopped, contemporary parsley, for garnish
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

• Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp along with the smoked paprika and a small pinch or so of salt and pepper.

• Convey a big pot of flippantly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and prepare dinner till al dente, in line with package deal instructions. BEFORE DRAINING, ladle out 1-2 cups of the pasta water and put aside for later. Drain the pasta.

• Whereas the pasta is cooking, warmth the 1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (or a deep skillet) over medium warmth till scorching and rippling. Add half of the shrimp in a single layer and prepare dinner for 30-45 seconds; flip the shrimp and prepare dinner simply till the shrimp have turned pink and are cooked by (it will not take lengthy!).

• Utilizing tongs, take away the shrimp to a plate protecting as a lot butter/liquid within the pan as doable. Repeat with remaining shrimp – eradicating to the plate with the opposite shrimp when finished cooking.

• Return the pan to medium warmth and soften the two tablespoons butter. Add the garlic and prepare dinner, stirring usually (do not let it burn!), till aromatic, about 30-45 seconds.

• If utilizing milk, whisk it along with the cornstarch (see notice under). Pour the milk combination (or heavy cream, if utilizing) into the pan and whisk to mix, letting the sauce bubble and thicken barely, 1-2 minutes.

• Add the salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Stir over medium warmth till the cheese is melted.

• Add the cooked noodles, lifting and tossing with tongs to coat the pasta totally with the sauce. Add spoonfuls of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and pasta (simply eyeball it – most likely will not want so as to add all of the reserved water).

• Add the shrimp and toss to mix with the pasta. Season to style with extra salt and pepper, if wanted! Sprinkle with contemporary parsley.

• Serve instantly (for optimum creaminess)! Serve with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Shrimp: any measurement shrimp can be utilized; I want utilizing bigger shrimp – package deal is labeled “21 to 30 shrimp per pound” – or thereabouts. If utilizing frozen shrimp, thaw earlier than utilizing. I want utilizing 2 kilos of shrimp for this recipe so there’s a good quantity of shrimp per serving, however you possibly can in the reduction of to utilizing 1 pound. 
Cornstarch: I solely use the cornstarch if I’m utilizing milk within the recipe. If utilizing heavy cream, the cornstarch isn’t mandatory except you desire a thicker sauce. 
Sauce: the sauce substances can simply be elevated if you need a saucier pasta. 
Parmesan Cheese: preshredded Parmesan cheese received’t soften as properly within the sauce and should lend a gritty/lumpy texture to the sauce. 
Vitamin Details: the vitamin information for this recipe are calculated utilizing lowfat milk (not heavy cream). Additionally please keep in mind the vitamin information are supplied as a courtesy and are simply an estimate, not a assure.

Serving: 1 serving, Energy: 371kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 22g, Fats: 13g, Saturated Fats: 6g, Ldl cholesterol: 107mg, Sodium: 659mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g

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Recipe Supply: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe