15 Shrimp Pasta Recipes You Can Serve Any Night of the Week

By Kelly Vaughan
Updated March 23, 2020
Chris Simpson; Recipes by Greg Lofts; Art Direction by James Maikowski; Food Styling by Greg Lofts; Prop Styling by Tanya Graff
Flavorful and fresh, these pasta recipes with shrimp and prawns are sure to delight.
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Chris Simpson; Recipes by Greg Lofts; Art Direction by James Maikowski; Food Styling by Greg Lofts; Prop Styling by Tanya Graff

There are many reasons why shrimp is such a beloved protein. It's sweet, succulent, and relatively inexpensive. When paired with pasta of all shapes and sizes, the combinations are endless. Whether you're hosting a dinner party or just need to get a delicious meal on the table as quickly as possible, our favorite shrimp pasta recipes are the answer to your menu questions.

One of the most popular shrimp recipes is Shrimp Scampi. Garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon, and butter are the basic flavors in this essential dish. We've created one master recipe with three variations—classic, caper and tomato, and mustard and thyme. Once you choose your path, toss the flavored shrimp with pasta, piled high over polenta or risotto, served alongside crusty bread, or even chilled and served over salad. Another delectable option is Pasta with Shrimp and Creamy Chipotle Sauce, which is a fantastic weeknight dinner recipe—especially if your family likes a bit of heat. It all comes together in just 30 minutes and incorporates fresh produce like corn kernels and shaved fennel, which add an invigorating brightness to the dish.

For something that involves a little more time, make our hands-on Tuxedo Bow-Tie Pasta with Shrimp, which features handmade, squid-ink bow-tie pasta. Although subtle in flavor, squid ink packs a punch with its opaque black hue. Paired with big shrimp and a flavorful tomato-seafood sauce, it's a meal that no one will forget. Enjoy these versatile shrimp pasta recipes year-round, any night of the week.

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Shrimp Scampi

Lennart Weibull
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Eat this shrimp dish with crusty bread, twirled into pasta, or straight up with a fork and knife. It's an Italian American-inspired recipe that is savory, garlicky, a little acidic, and all-around fresh.

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Pasta with Shrimp and Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Marcus Nilsson
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Even if you're not a fan of heat, fresh corn kernels, fragrant fennel, and shrimp balance the chipotle flavor in this 30-minute shrimp and pasta dish.

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Cream-Free Shrimp Alfredo

Chris Simpson
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No heavy cream here! Make some magic (a lighter alfredo sauce) with just starchy pasta water, Parmesan cheese, an egg yolk, and butter. Add shrimp and peas to complete the picture-perfect dish.

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Tuxedo Bow-Tie Pasta with Shrimp

Paola + Murray
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This two-part wonder is worthy of a special occasion. Homemade bow-tie pasta with squid ink, which adds a dark hue and faint salty flavor, is tossed with a tomatoey shellfish sauce and large sautéed shrimp.

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Spaghetti and Shrimp Meatballs

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Craving classic spaghetti and meatballs but trying to reduce your consumption of red meat? Try this innovative riff in which shrimp are puréed, mixed with panko breadcrumbs, basil, and Pecorino Romano, then formed into balls and lightly poached.

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Linguine with Shrimp and Spinach

Marcus Nilsson
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Make this quick and easy shrimp pasta dinner for your family tonight. It's simple, light, and guaranteed to please.

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Shrimp Alfredo

Mike Krautter
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Here's an all-around classic recipe for fettuccine alfredo, complete with a rich cream sauce and plenty of cheese. The unexpected addition is shrimp, which are sautéed with garlic, butter, and lemon zest.

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Spaghetti with Shrimp and Bacon

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You can create this simple pasta dish in just minutes: While the pasta cooks, fry the bacon, then sauté the shrimp in the rendered fat along with the scallions and garlic. To double the number of shrimp, split them in half lengthwise.

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Pasta with Rosemary Shrimp Scampi

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Rosemary and red-pepper flakes add zing to garlicky shrimp scampi. Toss the shrimp with spaghetti for a quick, sophisticated pasta dinner.

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Capellini with Shrimp, Peppers, and Salami

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A sunny combo of peppers—red, orange, and yellow—lends sweetness and color to this dish of angel-hair pasta and shrimp, while thinly sliced salami adds a bit of salty flavor. You can adjust the amount of pepperoncini (or omit it altogether), depending on your family's taste.

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Mafaldine with Shrimp and Lemon

Johnny Miller
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A spoonful of tomato paste adds a little blush to the luscious sauce of white wine and crème fraîche in this shrimp-and-pasta dinner.

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Gemelli with Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas

Bryan Gardner
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Feta, garlic, lemon, and fresh dill give a sunny hint of the Greek isles to this easy shrimp and pasta meal.

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Shrimp Scampi Meatballs in Garlicky Broth

Romulo Yanes
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Shrimp meatballs? Absolutely! Adding a little ground chicken keeps these garlicky meatballs moist and tender.

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Greek-Style Pasta with Shrimp

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Yogurt and lemon juice create a creamy and refreshing dressing for this shrimp pasta salad; mint and olives give it a Greek flair.

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Spicy Shrimp Marinara

Johnny Miller
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Marinara isn't just for meatballs! Spice up your shrimp with this zesty, garlicky tomato sauce and spoon it over pasta for a spaghetti dinner like no other.

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