This is the ultimate shrimp pasta dish, and it can be made in just 30 minutes! Made with mouth watering juicy jumbo shrimp, tossed in fresh cherry tomato sauce with garlic butter, then garnished with fragrant basil leaves. It’s a restaurant quality dish that will impress your friends and family!
This summer we got a ton of fresh cherry tomatoes from my dad, they’re much sweeter than regular hot house or plum tomatoes, and they release the most delicious bright and tangy tomato juice when cooked. It's especially great for a quick and easy burst tomato sauce for pasta.
This garlicky tomato shrimp pasta recipe comes from my talented husband, who’s been our specialty pasta maker for years. Plus, he’s been getting extra brownie points for making this for my mom, which she absolutely adores him for!
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Ingredients
Pasta/Spaghetti - We use spaghetti noodles, but fettuccine or angel hair pasta works well too.
Shrimp - Jumbo shrimp is a must for this dish. We use a 16/20 count. You’ll love the juicy, and fresh seafood flavor.
Cherry tomatoes - This is the secret ingredient to making a delicious tomato and butter sauce. They provide sweetness and acidity, and perfectly compliment the bold garlic and butter flavors.
Butter - Provides a creamy and silky texture, and buttery goodness to the dish.
Aromatics - Garlic will sweeten when cooking, and the shallot will help balance out the butter without overpowering the dish.
Basil - Fresh basil adds a fragrant, finishing touch to the dish.
Olive oil - Use good quality olive oil to saute the shrimp, and it helps prevent the butter from browning.
Salt & pepper - To taste.
Instructions
1). Prep your ingredients, devein and peel the shrimp, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the shallots thinly and mince the garlic.
2). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 11 min or so until al dente. Drain and save ½ cup of the pasta water for later.
3). In a large pan, add the olive oil and butter. Then saute the shrimp with salt and pepper. Cook on medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp and set aside.
4). Add the remaining butter in slices, using tongs or spatula to scrape off the shrimp bits into the sauce.
5). Add aromatics and saute for 5 min while scraping the pan.
6). Add tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes. Use a spoon to smash or “burst” the tomatoes to release the juices.
7). The cherry tomato sauce should have a nice thickened texture.
8). Add the shrimp back into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then toss in the spaghetti and evenly coat with the sauce. Slowly add pasta water, about tablespoon at a time, and mix into the pasta until the sauce has a nice, creamy texture. Don’t add too much at once, you don’t want to dilute the sauce.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve!
Pro Tips
- Cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves will allow for quicker cooking and will be easier to extract the juices by bursting it.
- Do not rinse the pasta, the starch will help thicken the sauce and help it to stick to the pasta.
- To store, keep the pasta in an airtight container. Keeps well for up to 2 days.
- To reheat, save some of the pasta water to add to the leftover pasta to help thin out the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Don’t rinse the pasta as the starch on the pasta will help the sauce thicken up as well as stick to the pasta.
Don’t cook it too far in advance. Add it to a sauce immediately after it’s done cooking to prevent them from drying out and clumping together.
Grape tomatoes are shaped like grapes while cherry tomatoes have a fully round shape. Cherry tomatoes are also juicier and sweeter than grape tomatoes.
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Easy Cherry Tomato Shrimp Pasta with Basil
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined I use 16/20 count
- 1 pound spaghetti pasta
- 10 ounce fresh cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced 3 ounces
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 tablespoons butter, sliced into 8 tablespoon sections
- ½ cup basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Save ½ cup of the pasta water for later use. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large-sized pan over medium high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter, when melted, quickly add the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove shrimp and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the remaining slices of butter. Use tongs or spatula to scrape off the brown shrimp bits into the sauce.
- Add the shallots and garlic and saute for 5 minutes while scraping the pan to pick up any brown bits into the sauce.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Use a spoon or tongs to smash or “burst” the tomatoes to release the juices. The tomato sauce should have a nice thickened texture.
- Add the shrimp back into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then toss in the spaghetti and evenly coat with the sauce. Slowly add pasta water, about tablespoon at a time, and mix into the pasta until the sauce has a nice, creamy texture.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and optional parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves will allow for quicker cooking and will be easier to extract the juices by bursting it.
- Do not rinse the pasta, the starch will help thicken the sauce and help it to stick to the pasta.
- Don’t cook the pasta too far in advance. Add it to a sauce immediately after it’s done cooking to prevent them from drying out and clumping together.
- To store, keep the pasta in an airtight container. Keeps well for up to 2 days.
- To reheat, save some of the pasta water to add to the leftover pasta to help thin out the sauce.
David
Very good. Didn’t have shallot so used a little onion. Will cook again.