Shrimp Linguine
This quick and easy Shrimp Linguine is flavored with white wine and tomatoes for a simple and delicious dinner! It’s lighter than other pasta dishes like Spaghetti Carbonara but has just as much flavor.
When it comes to quick homemade meals, this is one of the best.
Like many other shrimp dishes like Shrimp and Grits, it’s one of those meals that you can quickly make on a whim so long as you keep your kitchen stocked with a few ingredients.
I always have shrimp waiting in the freezer that I can thaw quickly under running water, and many of the other ingredients involved can be swapped out, depending on what you have on hand.
I keep an assortment of herbs in my garden and have tried many of them, and most fresh herbs are well suited for giving the pasta brightness. You can add basil, chives, oregano, parsley, and more!
How to Make It Step by Step:
To get started, thaw one pound of 21/25 shrimp in cold water, then drain (unless you purchased already thawed shrimp from the grocery store).
And in case you don’t know, 21/25 means 21-25 pieces of shrimp per pound. It’s always best to go by the number rather than labels like “small” or “medium” because you have a better idea of how big the shrimp really are.
Also, begin cooking your pasta according to box instructions, so it’s ready to toss when the shrimp is done cooking.
Next, melt butter in a skillet and add red chili flakes:
You can certainly use olive oil instead, if you prefer.
Add the shrimp to the pan and cook them nearly through, which only takes about 2 minutes:
Add lots of minced garlic and toss:
Shrimp and garlic are great friends when it comes to flavor affinities.
Remove the shrimp from the pan, then add some chopped tomatoes:
Saute the tomatoes for a minute or two until slightly softened, then deglaze the pan with white wine:
Add the shrimp back to the pan, as well as cooked linguine noodles and a cup of the pasta water. Garnish with snipped chives or parsley:
You can also add fresh basil or even oregano. I usually add whatever I’ve got in the fridge or one of the herbs from my garden.
Stuffed Shells, Lasagna, and Mac and Cheese Bites are a few of my other favorite pasta recipes. Enjoy!
More Shrimp Recipes:
Shrimp Linguine
Ingredients
- 1 lb linguine
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 lb 21/25 shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup of water from the pasta pot
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- chives or parsley for garnish
- *fried capers optional
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine al dente according to package instructions, usally about 10 minutes.
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat, and melt the butter. Add the red chili flakes and stir for 15 seconds.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until nearly cooked through. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds, then remove the shrimp from the pan (it’s okay if there’s still brown stuff leftover on the bottom of the pan, that’s a good thing).
- Add the diced tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 1 or 2 minutes until slightly softened. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine, then scraping off the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Cook this mixture for another 2 minutes, then toss in the cooked shrimp (including any juices), the cooked linguine noodles, and 1 cup of pasta water. Toss well and add the olive oil and herbs. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated in November 2019. Originally published August 2014.
17 Comments on “Shrimp Linguine”
Joanne, I couldn’t agree more. Eating out is fun, but there’s something better about a home cooked meal. I always look forward to cooking in my kitchen when getting back home from a vacation . . your vacation looked fabulous by the way! I love this pasta. . anything with shrimp and linguine makes me excited! See you next month!
Wish I had this for dinner tonight!
This pasta is absolutely incredible!!!
This looks amazing!!
Yummy that sounds easy thanks 4 sharing
Wow, this pasta looks very tasty! A few years ealier I never ate dishes that were cooked with wine because I was afraid to get a fine while driving, but according to this tip: there’s nothing to worry about – the alcohol evaporates in high temperature 🙂
I know what you mean. After one of my trips I come home and make pasta and I must say that this is on my list for next time.
I feel that way after a trip too, especially if I’ve been eating really decadent foods. This pasta looks great!!
Hi Joanne
This sounds really good though I have a question.
In reading the quantities of ingredients the 1 cup of water along with the 1/4 cup wine seems like an awful lot of liquid. The pasta water is added at the end so my perception is that the pasta will sitting in a lot of liquid (and not all the wine will boil off, or the juice from the tomatoes).
Dave
Hi Dave, this is a great question. Have you ever noticed that when you take the pasta out of the water, it starts to get really dry over the next 5 minutes or so as it cools? I find that if I don’t add more water (or oil) to the pasta, it always gets kind of dried out by the time I eat because unless you run the noodles under cold water (which stops the cooking, but also rinses off starch that we want), any liquid that was there really dries up. I’ve found the amount of liquid here to be the perfect amount for this quantity of pasta. Hope that answers your question!
Hi Joanne,
I understand what you’re saying. Thanks! So far the things I’ve tried from your blog have been perfect following the directions as given.
What came to my mind was going to restaurant, getting pasta with sauce and having all that watery liquid on the bottom of the plate that wasn’t tomato sauce. 🙂
I’ll give this a try with my girlfriend in the next few days to see how it turns out.
Dave
HI Joanne,
I made this tonight and what a hit!! Funny thing that after using that Oxo garlic press, I went through about 1-1/4 heads of garlic to get the slightly more than 2 tbl of minced garlic. It’s much better than using the jarred kind.
I could not believe how flavorful this was! And you were absolutely right about the cup of water from the pasta! It was just enough!
I also sliced a purple cauliflower into slices, brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and roasted at 425 degrees until browned and slightly crispy. Great (and colorful) side dish with this.
Dave
Hi Dave, that is wonderful! And yes, fresh garlic is so much better than jarred. It’s worth the trouble, though, a garlic press definitely makes it easier than mincing!
Hi,
I wanted to add ONE last comment…I promise, lol.
My whole family likes to cook (brothers, mom, my dad who passed away a few years ago). My ex wife is a great cook as is my 18 yr old daughter.
My brother gave me a great hint … he cooks fairly often and uses a lot of garlic. He will use the food processor and very finely chop about 3 heads of garlic to which he then adds a bit of olive oil…He keeps it in the refrigerator. It’s much fresher and much tastier than the bottled stuff in the stores and is always ready.
Hi Dave, that is an awesome tip!! Because yeah, I think the jarred stuff is kind of offputting. If you do it yourself and make sure the garlic is good, that’d be a lot better. Thanks!
Yummy! My favourite!
Thanks Arthur!