Creamy Lemon Shrimp Pasta – Lemony, creamy, cheesy Shrimp and Pasta dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes, from start to finish!
Greetings, friends!! How’s it goin’? Happy Sunday! Fingers crossed, you are sitting down with your feet plopped up on the couch, remote control in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. Remember, calories don’t exist on Sundays… ahem.
For that reason, I just stress-ate an entire bag of pretzel rods.
It was a long week and we’re lucky I didn’t attack a large pizza with a side of ice cream. ‘Cause I should have…
And now, I will present to you THIS. THIS lemon shrimp pasta deal being ONE of my most requested/loved/favorite dinners.
Last week I bought shrimp. The cooked, frozen, ready to eat kind. They were so pink and pretty.
This week I found them all wrinkled up and practically dying in the fridge. Nothing new there and no harm done. I ate ’em and am still breathing. Obvi, they weren’t dying, per say.
I wanted to make some sort of battered shrimp again, but I had a taste for something creamy, something where the flavor would POP, something lemony! … you know??
Doesn’t that sound SO GOOD?
I thought so too.
Sidenote: When my Mom saw this picture, she said, “And THIS is how you lure people in?!? EWWW!”.
Clearly, I am my father’s daughter. THIS lady, a.k.a. my Mommy, dislikes seafood. Mucho.
Back to my story about my lemon shrimp pasta… As I was sippin’ on my glass of Chardonnay while cookin’ the penne, (don’t judge. AND… you don’t drink when you cook?!), I started dreaming about March and Spring… and yellow colors and lemons… and at that moment I just threw the shrimp in with the pasta, zested my lemon all over the sauce, lemon juice all over the counter… buuuuut, bada bing bada boom, we were done. Dinner was ready! Well, almost. I had to make the creamy cream sauce, first.
BTW, speaking of that Chardonnay… I was also jamming to ONE DIRECTION while watching the Wahlburgers. 😀
The win-win of this situation was that a) I was sipping on Chardonnay and b) sipping on Chardonnay, reminiscing about the New Kids and listening to the new mmmbop-guys WHILE tipsy. All is right with the world. ♥
ENJOY!
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE CREAMY LEMON SHRIMP PASTA
Creamy Lemon-Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 8- ounces dry penne pasta
- 1 bag (12-ounces) peeled and deveined medium shrimp
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2- cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2- cup skim milk
- salt and fresh ground pepper , to taste
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley , divided
- parmesan cheese , for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the directions on the box, adding the shrimp to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring frequently.
- Whisk in flour; whisk until flour isn't dry.
- Slowly whisk in the broth.
- Cook and whisk until mixture is smooth; continue to cook until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in parmesan cheese; whisk until melted.
- Whisk in the milk; whisk until combined.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Sauce will continue to thicken as it stands. If sauce is too thick, add a little more milk.
- Drain pasta and return to pot.
- Pour sauce over the cooked pasta and shrimp; mix until combined.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon parsley.
- Transfer to plates; garnish with remaining parsley and a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I want to make this for the day before Xmas … I’m planning a meatless menu using at least 7 types of fish/seafood and this will make a change from the ‘garlic shrimp’ I was planning on. The only thing I don’t have is the fresh parsley … it’s either the dry stuff or cilantro. 🙂
Sounds delicious ! Is the shrimp already cooked for this recipe ? Thanks for your answer.
Hi Anne! The shrimp I used here is sold in a plastic bag, and they’re already cleaned and deveined. I cook the shrimp together with the pasta, the last 3 to 4 minutes. I have stated that in the recipe directions – please let me know if there’s something that’s not clear. Thank YOU!
This was really good. I doubled the sauce. Very special dinner for the week.
I as wondering if you could substitute cream for the skim milk. Would that make it even smoother? Also, someone asked about adding Chardonay. Would that work and would you reduce some of the liquid? Chardonay gives such a nice flavor.
Hi Mary!! Your substitutions sound A.MAY.ZING! 😀 Definitely go with the heavy cream and if you’re going to use chardonnay (YUM!), reduce the liquid. Now I need to make it your way! Have a wonderful Sunday!
I just made this tonight – SO good! I needed this bright, lemon flavor on this cold and wintry night! Thank you!
Thank you, Meg!!
All that cream and chees-y pasta is making me drool. This looks TOO good!
This looks absolutely gorgeous!
My only question is, can I add chardonnay to the sauce?! 😉 This pasta is creamy perfection!
Love it! I have more One Direction songs on my phone than I care to admit.
This looks delicious! I love how fresh all your pasta dishes look.
I am tempted by all of your photos! Love!