I’m always up for a plate of pasta, and we have it regularly. Sometimes it’s just simple pasta with a little garlic and butter, other times it’s full-fledged recipe time with lots of sauce and toppings. Today I’m making a recipe that’s somewhere in between the two. This Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta is somewhere between the two, but more toward the simple side. I’ve made something similar before, but this recipe skips the parmesan cheese and marinating the shrimp. It sounds even easier, and I’m always down for an easy pasta recipe.
This garlic butter shrimp pasta, adapted from Williams Sonoma Taste, is easy to make and so comforting.
The Ingredients
With only 9 ingredients (7 if you group all the lemon items together), this recipe was easy to shop for. I had the spaghetti and white wine on hand and bought the rest. The butter, parsley, garlic, and lemon were only a few dollars.
The shrimp were the most expensive item at $9.99 per pound, making this meal a budget-firendly treat. I actually ended up buying a whole pound because that was the minimum order. But rest assured, no shimp was wasted in the making of this recipe!
Actually, the shrimp I bought were peeled and deveined, but they still had their tails on. They’re removed in the photo below because I started making the recipe before I photographed the ingredients. I was really looking forward to it and got ahead of myself.
The Process
I’m always down for a quick and easy dinner recipe, and this Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta delivered. I had mine on the table in just 19 minutes from start to finish.
First up is boiling the spaghetti. I loved that this recipe included advice on how to salt the water. I’ve found that salty water makes for better pasta. I even taste the water (before it boils) to make sure I’ve salted it enough.
While the pasta simmered away I prepped the shrimp and butter sauce ingredients. Shrimp is the best when it comes to a quick meal, especially when you buy them peeled and deveined. Mine still had their tails on, but removing them only took a minute or two.
The rest of the prep work was a little zesting, chopping, and measuring a few ingredients. I also pressed the garlic. It’s a fast and thorough way to mince it.
After that, it was into a large saute pan to cook with just a little butter. I removed them when they were done and worked on the sauce. This step was also very quick, but I did get a little carried away with the whisk. Nothing that didn’t clean up easily, but I could have dialed it down a little.
Once the garlic butter sauce was finished, all I had to do what add the shrimp and spaghetti to the pan and toss with tongs to coat. I wasn’t paying close attention, so I don’t remember when the spaghetti finished. I did have a colander waiting in the sink, and it didn’t for long once it was drained.
