Name: Shrimp Pesto Spaghetti (Quick & Easy)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces large shrimp (thawed if frozen); 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 6 ounces pesto ((3/4 cup)); 12 ounces spaghetti; Pasta water (reserved); 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (for serving)

Recipe

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This shrimp pesto spaghetti is an easy family meal you can assemble in 20 minutes from start to finish. Amazing!

In this post, you’ll find all my tips for shrimp pesto spaghetti that’s perfectly cooked, delicious, and has the best texture.

Shrimp Pesto Pasta

It's late, the kids are hungry, and you need to solve dinner fast. The answer, my friend, is shrimp pesto spaghetti! This easy family dinner fills hungry bellies and satisfies your tastebuds in only 20 minutes. Much better than takeout!

My family loves my pesto chicken pasta, but this recipe is also a keeper when I have no chicken around, need something faster, or want to add a different protein. Shrimp thaw in 5 minutes, so it's a savior when other proteins are frozen as a rock.

Ingredients

Simple ingredients make this meal so epic! The MVPs of this recipe are shrimp, spaghetti (or any other pasta), and pesto sauce (my homemade pesto without pine nuts or one from the store). Add some everyday seasonings for extra flavor, Parmesan cheese for serving, and this dinner is done!

Fresh or Frozen Shrimp

You can make this pesto pasta recipe using fresh or frozen shrimp. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them overnight in the fridge or right before cooking by placing them in a colander in cold water in the sink. They will be thawed in 5 minutes! Don't add frozen shrimp directly to the pan; it will release too much liquid.

How to Make Shrimp Pesto Spaghetti

This shrimp dinner idea with spaghetti and pesto is quick and yields a terrific family meal with no mess! Check these tips to make this recipe as a pro:

Cook the spaghetti and, once it’s cooked, reserve pasta water to thin out the sauce later. Transfer the pasta to a bowl. If you keep it in the hot pot, it will dry out.
Add pesto and some of the pasta water to the pasta bowl and combine. Pasta water helps the sauce coat the spaghetti evenly.
Cook the shrimp in a single layer in the pan, 2 minutes per side, working in two batches if necessary. The shrimp are done when they are opaque, have golden edges, and are no longer pink.
Combine the cooked shrimp with the pesto spaghetti, sprinkle Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Can You Cook the Shrimp with the Pasta?

You can cook the shrimp at the same time of the pasta by adding it to the boiling pasta water during the last 4 minutes of cooking. However, I don’t recommend this because the texture of the shrimp often turns out chewy and it’s easy to overcook them.

Tips & Tricks

Ok, so now that you know how easy it is to make this shrimp pesto spaghetti, follow these tips and tricks for success:

Avoid sogginess
We want shrimp to release as little liquid as possible, so don’t cook it frozen. Thaw it before cooking it, and whether your shrimp is fresh or thawed, pat it dry with a paper towel before seasoning.

Perfect the sauce
Why use pasta water instead of just water? Pasta water has starch, helping yield a better sauce consistency.

Avoid dried-out pasta sauce
If you combine pesto sauce and spaghetti in the same pot where you cooked the pasta, it will be too hot, drying out the pasta and burning the pesto. Better use a bowl!

What to Serve with Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Make this shrimp pesto spaghetti even more nutritious by adding some veggies, such as a simple side salad or steamed green beans. These healthy side dishes pair great with pasta and you can assemble them fast!

Shrimp Pesto Spaghetti (Quick & Easy)

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

This shrimp pesto spaghetti is an easy family meal you can assemble in 20 minutes from start to finish. Amazing!

5 from 16 votes

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Ingredients

16 ounces large shrimp, thawed if frozen
¼ teaspoon salt and pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces pesto, (¾ cup)
12 ounces spaghetti
Pasta water, reserved
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

Prep:

Thaw the shrimp and peel them, if necessary, tails on or off (your choice). Place them on paper towels and pat them dry, absorbing any excess moisture. Season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.

Cook the pasta:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and boil according to the package directions. Reserve ½ to 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta. Transfer the pasta into a large serving or mixing bowl. The pot will be too hot and will dry the pasta.
Add the pesto to the pasta bowl and half of the reserved water and using kitchen tongs, combine the sauce and slowly add more pasta water until the pesto coats all of the spaghetti noodles and you like the consistency of the sauce. I typically use between ½ and ¾ cup total.

Cook the shrimp:

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a little oil and distribute it around the pan. Use kitchen tongs to place half of the shrimp on the pan, in a single layer, and cook them for 2 minutes per side, until they’re opaque, have golden edges, and no longer pink.
Remove the shrimp from the pan onto the bowl containing the pesto pasta and repeat the process with the remaining half of the shrimp. Alternatively, you can serve the cooked shrimp directly on top of the pesto pasta.