18 Shrimp Pasta Dinners

There was a time in my life when shrimp pasta meant a $28 plate at a beachside restaurant. Then I started making it at home, and I haven’t ordered out on a weeknight in over a year. The trick isn’t fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients — it’s just having a few go-to sauces in your back pocket, and treating the shrimp like the star they are. I’ve pulled together twelve of my favorite shrimp pasta dinners, from quick weeknight scampi to creamy Cajun fettuccine to restaurant-style San Marzano shrimp with a homemade shrimp stock. Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or just want to feel fancy on a Wednesday, these are the shrimp pasta recipes I make on repeat, and the ones my family actually requests by name.

What’s Inside

1. Cajun Shrimp Pasta
2. Marry Me Shrimp Pasta
3. Shrimp Pesto Pasta
4. Spicy Pasta with Shrimp and Tomatoes
5. Shrimp Scampi Pasta
6. Pasta with Shrimp and San Marzano Tomatoes
7. Tomato Spinach Shrimp Pasta
8. Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta
9. Shrimp and Bacon Pasta
10. Shrimp Scampi
11. Lemon Garlic Shrimp Linguine
12. Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Pasta

The 12 Recipes

From quick scampi to creamy tomato basil, these shrimp pasta recipes cover every mood — weeknight simple or dinner-party special.

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Recipe via The Cozy Apron — Ingrid Beer

Ingrid Beer’s Cajun shrimp pasta is pure weeknight comfort — spice-crusted seared shrimp, a creamy fire-roasted tomato sauce, and ribbons of fettuccine. The roasted red peppers tucked into the sauce add a smoky sweetness that keeps everyone coming back for seconds.

Marry Me Shrimp Pasta

Recipe via Salt & Lavender — Natasha

Natasha’s Marry Me shrimp pasta is the cousin of the famous Marry Me chicken — sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, cream, parmesan, and tender shrimp, all tossed with al dente pasta. A splash of white wine and a few fresh basil leaves make it taste like a proposal.

Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Recipe via The Daring Gourmet — Kimberly Killebrew

Kimberly Killebrew’s 20-minute pesto pasta uses lemon zest to brighten the basil, and the shrimp are seared in olive oil with garlic until just pink. A splash of pasta water pulls the pesto into a glossy sauce that clings to every strand.

Spicy Pasta with Shrimp and Tomatoes

Recipe via Bon Appétit — Rick Martinez

Rick Martinez cooks the pasta directly in the sauce with fish sauce and sambal oelek for a one-pot dish that’s deeply savory with a slow-building heat. The tomatoes break down into a chunky, bright sauce, and the shrimp go in at the very end so they stay tender.

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Recipe via Bon Appétit — Molly Baz

Molly Baz’s Basically Shrimp Scampi is a one-pot weeknight miracle — shallots, garlic, white wine, lemon, butter, and shrimp, finished with a crispy panko-parmesan topping. Bright, briny, and done in 20 minutes.

Pasta with Shrimp and San Marzano Tomatoes

Recipe via Bon Appétit — Picco, Larkspur, CA

This restaurant recipe from Picco in Larkspur, California makes a quick shrimp stock from the shells — the kind of detail that turns a 30-minute pasta into something you’d pay $28 for. The San Marzanos melt into a silky, herb-flecked sauce.

Tomato Spinach Shrimp Pasta

Recipe via Salt & Lavender — Natasha

Natasha’s tomato-spinach shrimp pasta is the breezy summer dinner that comes together in one pan with grape tomatoes, baby spinach, and lots of garlic. Burst tomatoes create a light, fresh sauce that’s perfect over spaghetti on a hot night.

Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

Recipe via Salt & Lavender — Natasha

Earthy cremini mushrooms and a splash of Dijon mustard add depth to this creamy shrimp pasta. Natasha’s trick is browning the mushrooms hard in butter and oil first — that’s where the deep, savory flavor comes from.

Shrimp and Bacon Pasta

Recipe via Salt & Lavender — Natasha

Crispy bacon and a creamy parmesan-tomato sauce is one of those combinations that shouldn’t work but absolutely does. Natasha’s version is ready in 30 minutes and is one of those pastas that disappears from the table faster than you can plate it.

Shrimp Scampi

Recipe via The Cozy Apron — Ingrid Beer

Ingrid’s classic shrimp scampi is the dish I order at every Italian restaurant, made better at home with seared shrimp, a buttery white wine sauce, lemon zest, and lots of fresh parsley. Spoon it over spaghetti and serve with a hunk of crusty bread.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Linguine

Recipe via AI-Generated Inspiration — Elowen Thorn

A bright, simple lemon-garlic linguine that’s restaurant-quality but takes 20 minutes. The shrimp get a quick sear, then a buttery white wine pan sauce with red pepper flakes and a generous squeeze of lemon — the kind of dish that makes a Tuesday feel like a date night.

Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Pasta

Recipe via AI-Generated Inspiration — Elowen Thorn

Smoky chipotle peppers in adobo, fire-roasted tomatoes, and a touch of cream make this pasta deeply flavorful with just the right amount of heat. I love it with penne because the tubes catch all that spicy sauce in every bite.

That’s a lot of shrimp

If I had to pick one to start with, it’d be the Marry Me shrimp pasta from Salt & Lavender. It comes together in one pan with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and cream, and it’s the kind of dish that makes my husband put his phone down at the table. The Cajun shrimp pasta from The Cozy Apron is what my kids beg for on birthdays, and the shrimp scampi from Bon Appétit is the dinner I make when I want to feel like I’m back in Italy. Cook them all, save the leftovers for lunch, and don’t forget to keep a loaf of crusty bread in the freezer — that’s the real secret. Oh, and a chilled glass of something crisp. Always.

—Elowen Thorn

Sources & Credits

A heartfelt thank you to the food writers, test kitchen cooks, and home cooks who developed and shared these recipes. Every dish below is credited to its original creator and source publication — please visit their sites, leave a comment, and support their work.

1. Cajun Shrimp Pasta — The Cozy Apron (recipe by Ingrid Beer)
2. Marry Me Shrimp Pasta — Salt & Lavender (recipe by Natasha)
3. Shrimp Pesto Pasta — The Daring Gourmet (recipe by Kimberly Killebrew)
4. Spicy Pasta with Shrimp and Tomatoes — Bon Appétit (recipe by Rick Martinez)
5. Shrimp Scampi Pasta — Bon Appétit (recipe by Molly Baz)
6. Pasta with Shrimp and San Marzano Tomatoes — Bon Appétit (recipe by Picco, Larkspur, CA)
7. Tomato Spinach Shrimp Pasta — Salt & Lavender (recipe by Natasha)
8. Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta — Salt & Lavender (recipe by Natasha)
9. Shrimp and Bacon Pasta — Salt & Lavender (recipe by Natasha)
10. Shrimp Scampi — The Cozy Apron (recipe by Ingrid Beer)
11. Lemon Garlic Shrimp Linguine — AI-Generated Inspiration (recipe by Elowen Thorn)
12. Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Pasta — AI-Generated Inspiration (recipe by Elowen Thorn)