This Lemon Pasta with Shrimp is easy and so darn delicious! The lemon shines through, the capers and garlic give it extra umph and the butter makes it rich and silky. Seriously, so good! The trick to this dish is timing. Have all the ingredients prepped ahead of time so that everything is on hand to pull together in the last 8-10 minutes. Pop the shrimp into the oven when you put the pasta in to boil. Make the sauce while the pasta is boiling, then turn off the heat, drain the pasta and toss everything together. It’s that simple. (especially the second time around when you know what you’re doing). Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking – more garlic, less lemon, more capers, etc. Just keep tasting.
By the way, the roasted shrimp, a la Ina Garten, can be made on their own as an appetizer served with cocktail sauce or added to any other dish for that matter. I love roasting the shrimp for this pasta dish as there is no frying involved ( including the smell) and the shrimp always come out perfectly plump and juicy in 6-7 minutes.
I think that’s all there is to say. This dish is great, fast and looks beautiful. Try it!
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- Key Lemon Pasta ingredients
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- Roasted Shrimp
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- Lemon Shrimp Pasta
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- Lemon Shrimp Pasta
Lemon Shrimp Pasta in 30 Minutes
Fresh lemon bursts through as you bite into this light, flavourful pasta tossed with plump roasted shrimp. Really good! And ready in under 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 18m
- Cook Time: 10m
- Total Time: 28m
- Serves: 5
Ingredients
- 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (16-21 per pound)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
- 3/4 pound spaghettinni or angel hair pasta (375 g/12 ounces)
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 1 large lemon - the juice and the zest
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated (frozen cubes ok too)
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (optional)
- 4 cups fresh spinach, stems removed, roughly chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- ROASTING THE SHRIMP: Pat shrimp dry and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay them in a single layer on a foil-lined pan. Roast for 6-8 minutes until pink and barely no longer transluscent. Don't overcook.
- PASTA: Boil pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving one cup of the pasta liquid for the sauce.
- LEMON SAUCE: While pasta is boiling, heat butter in a large pan on medium-low. Add all the other sauce ingredients except parsley. Mix well for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat.
- COMBINE: Add the hot pasta to the sauce and toss together. Add less than 1/2 cup of reserved pasta liquid to make a smooth consistency (use more if needed). Add roasted shrimp with juice in pan. Sprinkle on parsley. Toss together, adjust seasonings if needed and serve immediately.
Delicious and easy. The instructions were perfect. Sautéed the shrimp in garlic butter instead of roasting it and added a splash of white wine to the and a dash of hot chilli peppers once the shrimp started to turn pink. It was a huge hit !! Thanks, 2 Kooks !!
Thanks Fran. Great suggestions.