Citrusy and bright, this One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe is the perfect weeknight meal. This dish is high in protein, packed with so much flavor, with a super easy clean up – it may just become your new favorite.
Shrimp Garlic Lemon Pasta
We all have those days where we want dinner on the table ASAP and with easy clean up, but aren’t looking for a boring sandwich or reheated leftovers. This single pot pasta is your answer.
The thing is, this shrimp pasta dish isn’t just for busy weeknights. It’s also fancy enough to serve up at your next dinner party. Something about the simple and bright flavors of lemon and garlic coating al dente noodles is something the whole family will love and guests will be impressed by.
What else is great, is this recipe comes together with so many pantry/fridge staples. I had shrimp in my freezer and the only ingredient I needed to buy for this dish to come together was some fresh parmesan. Go looking in your own kitchen, you’ll be surprised how many of the ingredients you already have!
And if you love shrimp, also check out these Honey Teriyaki Shrimp Lettuce Wraps, these Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers, this Chile Lime Shrimp Bowl, or this Shrimp and Mango Salad which all come together in under 30 minutes, too! Or if you want to try another one pot pasta, try this Olive Garden Chicken Pasta or this Meghan Markle One Pot Spaghetti, that I think you’ll love!
Recipe Ingredients
- Shrimp – A lot of bang for your buck with regards to protein and they cook super quick!
- Lemon & Garlic – Two super flavorful ingredients that pair so well in this recipe. FRESH lemon juice and FRESH minced garlic take this pasta dish up a notch.
- Cheese – Bring on the parmesan! The harder texture holds up nicely in the dish without getting too ‘stringy’.
- Linguine – I used regular linguine noodles, se below for substitutes.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Noodles: Any noodle shape will do here. I prefer longer like pappardelle, linguine, angle hair or spaghetti in this dish, but shorter varieties like penne pasta or cavatappi can also work. Most pasta varieties are also fine. I stuck with regular wheat pasta, but egg noodles, gluten-free pasta, chickpea noodles, or even zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash can also be used in this dish.
- Protein: This pasta could be made with other seafood like scallops or clams, or you could instead use grilled chicken, or keep it vegetarian with mushrooms or chickpeas in place of the shrimp.
- Veggies: This dish is very receptive to additional veggies. Add in some spinach or broccoli! Sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peas, green beans and zucchini are some other ideas that I think would be delicious in this lemon garlic pasta, too.
- Sauce: The lemon-butter combination with some melted parmesan makes up for the majority of the sauce in this pasta. If you want a more sauce-forward dish, you can add additional moisture with a little chicken broth, something like a Garlic Expressions dressing, or go for a red pasta with jarred marinara. If you want a creamier dish, add in some cream cheese or heavy cream for a rich, white sauce on the pasta.
How to Make This Recipe
1. In a large skillet or stove pot (I used my OurPlace Always Pan), boil water for the noodles.
2. Once the water is boiling, add in some salt and the linguine. Cook it according to box instructions. When there is 5 minutes left of boiling the noodles, add the frozen asparagus. If it’s fresh, wait until 3 minutes left.
3. Strain the noodles and asparagus once al dente and set aside. Using the same pot, heat it to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter with minced garlic cloves. Saute until fragrant.
4. Add the raw shrimp to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. After 1-2 minutes flip the shrimp. And cook for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Once the shrimp is cooked through (pink throughout), turn down the heat to low. Add the linguine and asparagus back into the pan.
6. Top with shredded parmesan cheese, olive oil, light butter, and juice of lemon. Stir together, getting all of the noodles evenly coated. Garnish with fresh parsley, lemon wedge (and lemon zest if desired), cracked pepper, and remaining parmesan ribbons. Enjoy!!
Expert Tips
- Cook your pasta al dente (still slightly firm). This gives a better overall texture to the dish so you don’t have a pile of mushy noodles and also is better on digestion!
- If you want to speed up prep time, you can boil the noodles in another pan at the same time you start the shrimp. Yes, it’ll no longer be a one-pot recipe, but the pot you boil the noodles in can be cleaned with just a little rinse of water!
- If the garlic begins to stick to the pan, add a little bit of extra oil. You want it to brown, but not burn and the oil will help prevent this.
Recipe FAQs
Store this dish in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds until warm throughout. As the pasta sits, the noodles may soak up some of the sauce, so if your pasta seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil before reheating.
There’s multiple options when it comes to buying shrimp. I go for convenience and buy them peeled and deveined. Mine were raw and had tails still on, but here’s the differences:
Peeled: The shell covers the entire shrimp. You’ll need to peel the shrimp before cooking them. Buying peeled shrimp significantly cuts down on prep time.
Tails Removed: Peeled shrimp doesn’t necessarily mean the tail is removed. With tails removed too, you can eat the entire thing.
Deveined: If your shrimp have a little brown string down the middle of their bodies, it needs to be deveined. Watch this short video on deveining shrimp if you need help.
Frozen vs. Fresh: Either will work. To quickly thaw frozen shrimp, submerged in a bowl of warm water. It should only take about 20 minutes or so, change the water out once to speed up the process.
Raw vs. Cooked: Again, either work. Shrimp take minimal time to cook (3-5 min total) so it’s really personal preference here. If you’ve got access to raw, fresh shrimp, go for it! Pre-cooked shrimp you’ll just want to sear the skin for a brief moment to heat through so it doesn’t get tough.
A drier white is always welcomed by seafood and a Sauvignon Blanc is a classic pairing with garlic. With the buttery sauce, this pasta would also go well with an oaky Chardonnay.
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One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Equipment
- deep skillet or pot I used my Our Place Pan
- measuring cups / spoons
- garlic press
- rubber spatuala
- cheese grater
- strainer
Ingredients
- 8 oz linguine
- 1 cup fresh or frozen asparagus, diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1.25 lbs raw shrimp
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 1/2 cup parmesan ribbons
- 1/2 cup light butter
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- In a large skillet or stove pot (I used my OurPlace Always Pan), boil water for the noodles.
- Once the water is boiling, add in some salt and the linguine. Cook it according to box instructions.
- When there is 5 minutes left of boiling the noodles, add the frozen asparagus. If it’s fresh, wait until 3 minutes left.
- Strain the noodles and asparagus once al dente and set aside.
- Using the same pot, heat it to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter with minced garlic cloves. Saute until fragrant.
- Pat the raw shrimp dry then add them to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. After 1-2 minutes flip the shrimp. And cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Once the shrimp is cooked through (pink throughout), turn down the heat to low. Add the linguine and asparagus back into the pan.
- Top with shredded parmesan cheese, olive oil, light butter, and juice of lemon. Stir together, until butter is melted and all of the noodles evenly coated.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, lemon wedge (and lemon zest if desired), cracked pepper, and remaining parmesan ribbons. Enjoy!!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
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I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
I found my new favorite recipe for date night. Jack and I made this and we were SO impressed. So easy and flavorful!!
Having this pasta on REPEAT. so simple to make and truly restaurant quality
Love this dish!!! You have to try it. Perfect for a date night.
The easiest and tastiest dinner 😋 highly recommend making this one !!!!
My husband made this for us and it was divine!
YAY! Love to hear it. Thanks, Amy!
Absolutely delish!
Better than any Italian restaurant near us!! Perfect recipe for a date night at home and love the flavors for summer
This is SO yummy – perfect for a summer night! I’m not a shrimp girl, so I subbed it for chicken and it was delicious!
This pasta was so easy yet tasted soooo gourmet. My husband definitely approved!!