This Rosemary Shrimp Pasta is effortlessly elegant yet quick and easy. Perfect for a mid-week dinner with friends or Saturday date night.
The shrimp are stirred through pasta, dressed with a simple garlic and rosemary sauce. And everything comes together in the time it takes to cook pasta!
Just six ingredients go into this recipe, but don't be fooled. The flavors in this dish are simple, but they work so well together. Garlic, shrimp, fragrant rosemary, and lemons work so well with the pasta.
Shrimp Pasta
I've said it before, but shrimp pasta always feels just a little bit special! Yet they are often so simple to make! Especially if you keep shrimp in the freezer! (Hint - You should!)
Frozen shrimp are so versatile! And they defrost quickly, meaning you are never far away from a great shrimp dinner!
If you forget to get the shrimp out of the freezer in the morning, an easy way to quickly defrost frozen shrimp is to dissolve a teaspoon of salt in 2 cups of water and add the frozen shrimp. Leave this on the counter for 30-45 minutes, and the shrimp will have defrosted.
Size-wise, for this dish, I go for 20-25, which gives a serving of 10-12 smallish shrimp per person, and it makes sure they cook in the given time frame.
Cooking the shrimp
Shrimp need barely any cooking time! For this recipe, we cook them in with the pasta. The heat of the pasta and the extra minute of cooking with the sauce leaves you with perfectly cooked shrimp.
Once the pasta is cooked, add the shrimp to the boiling water and then immediately drain the pasta. The shrimp will continue to steam in pasta while you stir through the garlic and rosemary oil.
This method of cooking the shrimp keeps them juicy and stops them from getting rubbery or overcooked. Don't be alarmed by this method. Once they have sat in the steam and been tossed through the hot sauce, they will be perfectly cooked.
A simple sauce
This is essentially an oil seafood pasta dish! The sauce is a beautiful mix of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and some of the pasta cooking water!
The pasta cooking water is the best free ingredient! It is nice and starchy and helps to make an emulsion with the oil that clings to the pasta and coats every strand in garlicky rosemary goodness.
Be sure to use fresh rosemary for this dish; dried rosemary won't give you the woody flavor that you need.
The garlic and rosemary are cooked gently in olive oil; this helps avoid the raw metallic taste of garlic and allows the natural oils in the rosemary to seep into the olive oil.
Make sure you add the lemon zest at the last moment of cooking; this ensures the flavor stays bright and fresh rather than getting a bitter edge.
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
What pasta to use
Long thin pasta noodles are perfect here, so go for spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, or fusilli lunghi.
Serving Suggestions:
On the side: As this pasta is so fresh and light, it makes the perfect dish to pair with a garlic bread pizza or a simple pizza margarita.
Wine: These light garlic shrimp are best friends with something dry and sparkling. So pair this dish with an Italian prosecco or an Australian/Californian sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir.
Enjoy x
If you try this Rosemary Shrimp Pasta, please leave a 🌟star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I really appreciate it, and it helps others to know that the recipe is trustworthy.
Any questions about the recipe? Use the comments section below.
Get the Recipe
Rosemary Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves
- 6 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary - see note 1
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 12 oz pasta - see note 2
- 1 pound raw shrimp - peeled and deveined - see note 3
- 1 lemon - zested
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil, peel, and crush or finely chop the garlic.3 garlic cloves
- Add the olive oil, chopped garlic, and chopped rosemary to a cold skillet and cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes until the garlic has softened.6 tablespoon olive oil2 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
- Once the pasta water is boiling, add the salt and the pasta and cook until al dente.1 tablespoon salt12 oz pasta
- Once the pasta is cooked, remove a cup of the pasta cooking water, add the peeled shrimps and stir well.1 pound raw shrimp - peeled and deveined
- Immediately drain the pasta and shrimp.
- Place the pan back onto the heat, add the garlic and rosemary oil, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water.
- Return the pasta and shrimp to the pan. Stir well over medium-high heat until everything is glossy and coated and the shrimp are cooked through. Add more pasta cooking water if it starts to look too dry.
- Add the zest of the lemon and then season with salt and pepper (to taste) and serve immediately.1 lemonsalt and pepper
Notes
- Be sure to use fresh rosemary for this dish; dried rosemary won't give you the woody flavor that you need.
- Long thin pasta noodles are perfect here, so go for spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, or fusilli lunghi.
- Go for 20-25, which gives a serving of 10-12 smallish shrimp per person and makes sure they cook in the given time frame. If using frozen shrimp, ensure they are fully defrosted.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Lindsey Farr says
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious and so incredibly easy! I'll definitely be making it again soon. Also, it was great with bow ties!
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
Oh I am so happy you enjoyed it!!!
It is a fav of mine when I am not sure I want to cook but I also want to eat 😉
Cx
Alex says
This was my kind of meal 6 ingredients with tons of flavor. I'll be making this again. Thanks!
Rupali says
Loved this recipe with the garlic and shrimp combo! And better still, no prep is required, dinner is done in no time! I am making this again, as my kids loved it.
Claire McEwen says
So pleased you all enjoyed it 🙂
Cx
Lynn Polito says
This recipe is so good and so easy to make!
Mandy says
Just when I thought pasta couldn't get any better I found this shrimp pasta recipe - absolutely delicious!
Claire McEwen says
So pleased you enjoyed it Mandy. Shrimp pasta is one of my favs 🙂
Cx
Linda says
This pasta is absolutely beautiful, easy to make, and delicious in every bite. This is my go-to recipe when I run out of time!
Claire McEwen says
It is such a quick recipe, I am so pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
Cx
Susannah says
I will 100% be making this again! So fresh and delicious.
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am glad you enjoyed it Susannah
Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
Cx
Patrice says
I love the simplicity and the flavors of this dish. This is about to be my special treat for myself. The family loved it but I can eat this over and over again and I don't want to share, LOL. The rosemary really does give it a great boost of flavor.
Claire McEwen says
Haha, I feel like that about pasta too 🙂
Shrimp and rosemary work so well together don't they!
Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment.
Cx
Sherry says
I was looking for a quick and easy meal for my family when I came across your pasta recipe. This dinner recipe was on the table in under 30 minutes and my family loved it!
Claire McEwen says
Don't you just love quick family meals that everyone loves 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment.
Cx
Jennifer says
Another stellar pasta dish! This one was quick, easy, and delish! I loved all the flavors!
Claire McEwen says
So pleased you enjoyed dit Jennifer 🙂
Cx