This recipe for shrimp pesto pasta is spaghetti tossed in a flavorful pesto sauce, then topped with sauteed shrimp and tomatoes. A fresh and easy dinner that’s quick to make and packed with flavor!
If you’ve been reading her for a while, you know I’m ALL about the easy dinner ideas. It doesn’t get much simpler than this shrimp pesto pasta! The whole thing is ready in about 20 minutes, you can’t beat that!
I like to use spaghetti for my shrimp pesto pasta, but linguine or fettuccine would also be great. While the pasta is boiling, I cook up my shrimp. After the noodles are done, I simply toss the pasta with the shrimp, pesto, add some tomatoes and cheese, and dinner is served!
How do you make shrimp pesto pasta?
So here’s my little secret: I don’t make my own pesto. Yes, you can make your own pesto, but there are so many high quality store bought versions these days that I feel like it’s not always worth the extra time and effort. My favorite pesto is the Kirkland brand at Costco, it comes in a jar in the refrigerated section. The refrigerated store bought pesto tends to be superior in flavor to the shelf stable type, so go for the fresh stuff whenever possible!
This pesto pasta recipe gets finished off with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, fresh tomatoes and herbs. I went with parsley because that’s what I had on hand, but you could also use basil or even just skip the herbs if you don’t happen to have them on hand. Another awesome addition to this dish would be pine nuts, or even some sauteed zucchini!
I’m definitely going to be turning to this shrimp pesto pasta when I need a speedy dinner. If you add a loaf of bread and a green salad, it’s even fancy enough for company!
MORE GREAT SHRIMP RECIPES TO TRY
Shrimp Pesto Pasta Video
Shrimp Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dry spaghetti can also use linguine or fettuccine
- 3/4 cup basil pesto
- 1 pound medium to large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or equal parts garlic powder dried basil and dried oregano)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- Optional garnish: chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the shrimp.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Cook for 2-4 minutes or until shrimp are just pink and opaque. Turn off the heat.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the shrimp. Stir in the pesto.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese to the pan. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Nutrition
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Emma says
A big hit at my house! I used fresh basil instead of parsley and added a bit of lemon zest. Delish!
Karen Tricomo says
This sounds delicious and I’m going to try it tonight for a potluck I don’t have time to make something more complicated for. I plan to at least DOUBLE the recipe but do you have any suggestions as to how I can “pad” it more for 10+ people? I’ll let you know in either case how it all turned out, but I have high hopes! 😀
Sara says
I’d add some more vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms!