This shrimp scampi recipe with pasta is a unique take on this classic dish using an Asian-inspired spicy garlic butter sauce on the shrimp combined with the zesty flavor of the pasta. You wouldn’t want this dish any other way after trying!

Garlic, butter, and hot sauce is the perfect blend of ingredients to create the best shrimp scampi recipe. This sauce has an extra kick loaded with garlic, that you’re tempted to just eat the shrimp by itself!

I remember going to Asian restaurants with my family and ordering a ton of shrimp and crab that was saturated with this spicy sauce. It was so good with rice! This inspired me to create this dish with pasta for a unique twist.

This shrimp scampi recipe with pasta is sure to be a family favorite as the spice level can be adjusted. It’s also a fun dish to serve with guests as you will definitely be asked for the recipe.

This post will go over everything you need to know to create the best shrimp scampi recipe with pasta.

Recipe difficulty: Moderate
With a blend of flavors in this dish and typical prep time, this recipe ranks easy to moderate as the end result is a lot more zesty than a regular shrimp scampi recipe.

Sam’s Pro Tips for the Best Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Pasta

Cook your pasta with salt and oil. I know this is a hit or miss topic as there are varying opinions, but I cook my pasta with salt and olive oil in the water. I find that the salt helps flavor the pasta and the olive oil prevents my noodles from sticking. This is super helpful if I forget to occasionally stir the pasta as it cooks.

Shrimp can cook really fast. Keep an eye on your shrimp after a couple minutes. Once it changes color and curls, its cooked. No one likes overcooked shrimp!

Shell on or off? Another option to cook the shrimp is actually with the shell on. I find that cooking the shrimp with the shell retains more of the sauce flavored with the shrimp and is super tasty! This is a great option for family members if you’re in a pinch, but definitely have the shell removed if you’re hosting guests.

If you’re not a wine drinker, this is a great shrimp scampi recipe without wine. Chicken broth actually gives it all the flavor it needs and usually is a great substitute for recipes when it asks for a dry white wine. No need to worry about buying that bottle now!

Key Ingredients – Best Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Pasta

Below are some key and optional ingredients for this recipe:

Pasta and Shrimp

Linguini: Seriously this is the best pasta to use with shrimp! The linguini already has flavor after cooking in salt and olive oil. It also pairs great with the spicy garlic butter sauce.

Shrimp: I have made this dish both ways with the shrimp peeled and deveined, and also with the shell on. For me, I make the determination if I’m just with family or if I have guests. No way do I want my guests picking the shell off on the dinner table during a conversation! If you choose to cook the shrimp with the shell on, this makes it an easy shrimp scampi recipe as the shell helps prevent the shrimp from overcooking and is one less step if you didn’t buy the shrimp already peeled and deveined.

Herbs and Sauce

Garlic: Minced garlic is the best way to get that ultimate flavor on the shrimp. Cooking the minced garlic in the butter and hot sauce is oh so tasty and full of flavor!

Butter: We all know butter makes everything better! I would not skip out on this step as this is the ultimate flavor factor.

Hot sauce: Ok, so the hot sauce in this recipe really takes it up a notch. You can use any hot sauce you like, but I like to use the Tapatio hot sauce as I cook the shrimp for that kick!

Chicken broth: So this is my personal substitute instead of using a dry white wine. Of course, you can easily switch this out and make it the traditional way with white wine, but I usually have chicken broth on hand. It works just as well!

Lemon: Lemon juice pairs great with shrimp, but in combination with the sauce for the pasta, it adds a zesty flavor to really balance out the sauce. See Frequently Asked Questions for measurements.

Red pepper flakes (optional): You will most likely get all the spice you need from the hot sauce, but a little bit of pepper flakes won’t hurt right? This is totally optional but will really add to the spice level.

More Variations to this Recipe

There are a few ways you can variate this shrimp scampi recipe with pasta. Here’s how:

Change the shrimp seasoning: You can add additional seasoning to the shrimp depending on preference. While cooking in the butter and garlic, paprika, cayenne powder, or lemon pepper seasoning are all good choices to further season the shrimp.

Don’t want the noodles? Instead of making this dish with linguini, opt for white rice to eat with the shrimp and sauce. The sauce tastes so good with the rice!

What can I pair with this dish? Although this is a great standalone dish, serving this with bread on the side or even a side salad gives guests a nice option in case there was too much spice in one bite!

Related Recipes

Ingredients

1 pound linguini
1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
7 minced garlic cloves about half a whole garlic head
¼ cup finely diced onion
1 tablespoon hot sauce can be adjusted depending on preference
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup water
¾ cup chicken broth
juice of half a lemon about 2 tablespoons
¾ cup chopped parsley
1½ teaspoons pepper flakes optional
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to directions. Before the water starts to boil, add about a tablespoon of salt and olive oil into the water. Stir the pasta to prevent sticking and drain when ready.
In a sauté pan, melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium low heat. Once melted, toss in the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until lightly browned for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the shrimp, hot sauce, pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and water. Adjust the hot sauce and pepper flakes according to preference. Close the lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until the shrimp turns to a slightly pink color.
Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the sauté pan. Mix to combine and cook for another 5 minutes over low heat. The broth will turn to a slight sizzle.
Place the pasta in the sauté pan and toss with the sauce. Add in the parsley, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and pepper to taste. You can also add more pepper flakes and olive oil to the pasta depending on preference.
Serve with freshly cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

Measurements for the hot sauce and pepper flakes are set to the minimum in this recipe. I personally like my sauce spicy, so I usually double the measurements provided.
Shrimp cooks really fast. Depending on the level of heat used, start to watch after a couple minutes. Once it turns slightly pink and starts to curl, it should be ready.
Depending on the size of the lemon, you can usually get about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice for half a lemon.
For the garlic cloves, I usually like to use half a head of a whole garlic. There are about 10-15 cloves in a head of garlic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is shrimp scampi sauce made of?

Shrimp scampi sauce is typically made with a dry white wine, garlic, and butter. Chicken broth is a great substitute if you don’t have white wine.

What sides go with shrimp scampi?

Shrimp scampi can be served with a side salad or bread as a great alternative.

What can I use as a substitute for white wine in shrimp scampi?

A good substitute for white wine in shrimp scampi is chicken broth.

What flavors go well with shrimp?

Lemon, garlic, and butter goes great with shrimp.

How much juice can you get from one lemon?

Usually, 1 lemon can yield 3 tablespoons of juice depending on the size of the lemon.

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Best Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Pasta

Sam’s Pro Tips for the Best Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Pasta