oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! This Spicy Shrimp Tomato Pasta has me excited.
I’m not a person that goes crazy over anything that has shrimp in it, but this Spicy Shrimp Tomato Pasta might be a game changer. It’s basically a scaled back Shrimp Fra Diavolo. It’s so simple and delicious. Did you hear me? SIMPLE. *dramatic pause*
What we have here is a really basic sauce made with olive oil, butter (for richness), garlic, diced tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and a little salt and pepper. It’s just that simple. The shrimp helps give the sauce a little depth and the crushed red pepper adds just enough zing to balance the richness of the butter. It’s perfect.
…Although, if you wanted to, you could add a little dry white wine to the sauce. It’s not exactly economical, but it tastes awesome and if you’re going to pop a cork to serve some with dinner anyway, you might as well add a splash or two to the sauce. Just an options for ya.
I already know that some of you will try to cut the fat in the recipe and if you do, I beg you not to skip the butter. If needed, just use one tablespoon each of olive oil and butter, but DO. NOT. skip the butter. You’ll hurt my feelings.
It’s perfectly okay to use frozen shrimp in this – I did. It can be thawed super fast by running cool water over it. Just don’t let the shrimp sit in standing water.
Anyway, make this. It’s perfect for summer. Nom nom nom.
Spicy Shrimp Tomato Pasta
Spicy Shrimp Tomato Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz. fettuccine ($0.95)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.15)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1/2 lb. peeled & deveined shrimp, 41/50 size ($3.50)
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.69)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste ($0.05)
- Handful fresh parsley ($0.22)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta, and continue to boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain the pasta in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet and place over medium heat. Mince the garlic while waiting for the butter to melt.
- Rinse the shrimp with cool water and allow the excess water to drain away. Add the shrimp and minced garlic to the skillet. Saute the shrimp and garlic for 3-5 minutes, or just until the shrimp turns opaque and slightly pink (no longer grey and translucent). Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set it aside until later.
- Add the can of tomatoes with juices to the skillet, along with the crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Stir to combine and let the sauce simmer over medium heat for about five minutes.
- When the sauce has thickened slightly, add the cooked and drained pasta. Toss to coat in the sauce. Add the cooked shrimp back to the skillet and toss to combine with the pasta. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- Roughly chop a handful of parsley leaves and sprinkle over top before serving.
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Nutrition
Step by Step Photos
Start bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Add the olive oil and butter to a skillet and melt over medium heat. Mince the garlic while the butter is melting.
Rinse the shrimp under cool water and allow the excess water to drain away. When the butter has melted, add the rinsed shrimp and minced garlic. Saute for a few minutes or until the shrimp is no longer translucent.
They turn white/pink and curl up when they’re done. It really only takes a few minutes. You want to remove them from the skillet at this point so that they don’t continue to cook as you finish the sauce. Continuing to cook the shrimp will make it shrink up and get very rubbery.
At this point your water is probably boiling, so you can add the pasta. Boil the pasta until it is tender. I used fancy/expensive pasta this time, and the whole dish was still very inexpensive!
After removing the shrimp from the skillet, add the can of diced tomatoes (with juices), red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. The juices left over in the skillet from the cooking shrimp adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. Stir this together and let it simmer for a few minutes while the pasta finishes cooking. (This is also where you can add a little white wine if you have it. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup.)
Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Toss to coat the pasta in the sauce.
Now that it’s pretty much done, you can add the shrimp back in. Toss to mix the shrimp into the pasta.
Finish it off with a little roughly chopped fresh parsley and you’re ready to eat! So Pretty!
Oh boy oh boy oh boy…
Thanks for a great recipe. My husband and I loved this. I can’t wait to make more of your recipes.
Being on a super-budget (terrible job market where I live as well as newlywed-lifestyle change), these recipes are regulars for us. This one’s going on the table tomorrow night! I always come here when meal-planning. I appreciate that you keep the kitchen pantry staples while adding variety to each dish. My husband will get excited and ask, “Are we eating budget tonight??” in reference to your awesome blog. Thanks for keeping us, and our wallets, full and happy! Cheers :)
I made this last on a whim … haven’t been food shopping and had nothing in so grabbed some shrimp and decided to whip this up. EXCELLENT! Thumbs up from hubby and 12 year old son. Really simple to make and quick. DELICIOUS! This one’s being brought into rotation as a regular.
I made this a few nights ago, it was so good! I took your advice and added a little pinot grigio that I had open. It was delicious!
Just made this! Waiting on the hubby to come home from work and see what he thinks. Excited because he suggested I learn to cook with seafood. Thanks for my first recipe! It so yummy
I made this last night because I love every ingredient in this. I added a little Pinot Gris at the end as well. I think my mouth is still watering
my blogging buddy, Niki, tweeted this recipe to me. she added white wine to hers and so did i. and because i try to get in as many green leafy veggies as i possibly can – i threw some baby spinach in the mix!
I recently found your site. We have made about 7 of your recipes so far. Evey one of them has been fantastic and you have helped me save so much money!! Thanks so much! In fact, I have a loaf of cranberry bread proofing before I put it in the oven right now!
Fan-freakin’-tastic recipe, girl!! Just finished eating a few minutes ago and the boyfriend is still ravin’ about it :)
Just made this for my girlfriend. She loved it! Seconds all around :)
I do this without the garlic (I can’t digest it). I’ve also been known to add some eggplant to it. Love my shrimp pasta!
I’ve been making this dish for years now–it’s my signature company dish. I add a lot of fresh chopped basil instead of parsley, and serve it sprinkled with parmesan. Sometimes I add minced sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil) and/or diced fresh tomatoes to the sauce to build complexity; artichoke hearts or sauteed broccoli are good add-ins. Best when using fresh refrigerated fettucini instead of dried (yes, it is pricier). I’ve also subbed chicken for shrimp in a pinch. The best part is I can have it on the table in 30 minutes!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing all of those variations! :D
I was looking for a quick, pantry supper tonight and this fit the bill. It was easy to make and super delicious! When planning my weekly meal plan, your site is usually my first and last stop :) also…I love the new search feature – it works so well! Thanks for another winner!
I made this for dinner tonight since we’ve had a couple of tomatoes in the fridge as well as a bag of shrimp in the freezer that needed to be used up (we got it on sale a while back for even less than you have it listed for here!) My printer wasn’t working so I kind of had to wing it, heh; we made a few minor modifications for our personal tastes and to work with what we had in the pantry. (I also accidentally quadrupled the pasta instead of doubling it — ooops!)
Even so, this is a pretty foolproof recipe. It turned out delicious! Thank you, Beth!
Yum! My mom makes a similar dish and it’s fantastic. Try adding some feta at the end!
I wish I would have thought of this when I make it last night. I actually have a bit of feta