Shrimp Tomato Spinach Pasta in Garlic Butter Sauce - a delicious Italian pasta dish with lots of fresh ingredients!
I absolutely love combining shrimp, pasta, and tomatoes. My long-time favorite is spicy shrimp pasta with garlic tomato sauce. Seafood, vegetables, and pasta are definitely a winning combination!
Why make shrimp tomato pasta
- This recipe is a great way to use up a bunch of fresh tomatoes you might have sitting around in your kitchen!
- It's a healthy, Mediterranean style recipe. This shrimp pasta is packed with healthy ingredients. I am talking about fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes and spinach.
- It's a vibrant and colorful recipe that makes a beautiful presentation!
- You can easily make this pasta gluten free by using gluten free noodles.
What makes this recipe work?
- In this recipe, the tomatoes are only slightly cooked. This preserves their freshness and shape.
- The shrimp has rich flavor thanks to paprika and crushed red pepper.
- The garlic butter sauce is refreshing and comforting. It's made with fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach, minced garlic, olive oil, and butter.
This recipe became a favorite in my household. It disappeared quickly from the skillet as everybody went for seconds. And, it's so easy to make!
When you cook the shrimp and garlic in olive oil, the shrimp will smell and look so good! You will be tempted to eat half of it before finishing up this recipe! 🙂
Resist the temptation! I promise you will be rewarded with the best garlic shrimp tomato pasta you'll ever taste!
And, if you want something more creamy, I recommend my very popular shrimp pasta with creamy mozzarella sauce. If you like mushrooms, you'll love creamy shrimp pasta with mushrooms.
How to make shrimp tomato spinach pasta
1) First, saute fresh shrimp in garlic, butter, and olive oil, until just pink on both sides. The shrimp will still be undercooked but it will continue cooking later.
2) Sprinkle the shrimp generously with salt and paprika, as you're cooking it.
3) Then, add chopped fresh tomatoes and cooked spinach along with garlic and crushed red pepper to the skillet with shrimp.
4) Mix everything well. Remove from heat (while you cook the pasta). You don't want to overcook the shrimp and tomatoes - they will continue cooking in the next step.
5) Cook fettuccine pasta in boiling water, according to package instructions. Drain.
6) Next, add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with shrimp, spinach, and tomatoes, along with some lemon juice and more butter.
7) Heat up your shrimp tomato spinach pasta, and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly until the shrimp is cooked through, and all ingredients are heated through.
8) Top with grated Parmesan cheese, when serving.
Enjoy this Shrimp Tomato and Spinach Pasta!
Shrimp Tomato Spinach Pasta in Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp , fresh, uncooked, shelled and deveined
- 5 tomatoes , medium size, fresh, chopped into large cubes
- 1 cup spinach cooked
- 5 garlic cloves , minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or more
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 10 oz fettuccine pasta
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil, until melted.
- Add fresh shrimp and half the minced garlic. Make sure the shrimp is not crowded. Cook for 1 minute on one side until pink on that side.
- While the shrimp is cooking, generously sprinkle paprika and salt over uncooked side of the shrimp.
- Flip the shrimp over and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes until pink on the other side.
- To the skillet with shrimp, add chopped fresh tomatoes, cooked spinach, and the remaining amount of minced garlic. Add ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more). Mix everything well, remove from heat while you cook pasta.
- In the meantime cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent pasta from cooking and getting mushy.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet with shrimp and vegetables with 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Depending on the juiciness of your lemon, it could be ¼ of a small lemon or ½ lemon. Don't add too much lemon juice.
- Season with salt and more crushed red pepper. Warm up on medium heat until the shrimp is cooked through, and all ingredients are heated through.
- To serve, top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Great recipe! Left out the lemon, but added a bit of double cream + skinned the tomatoes.
I love your delicious adjustments, Caroline! ❤️
Typically, I am too fussy to follow most recipes. I did not have a pound of spinach; so was short with one bunch. I braised all the garlic in 4 tbsp butter first and used grape tomatoes cut in half. The dish was really incredibly perfect. Even the add red pepper a second time was good. I ran the spinach only for one minute and it was nicer green. Truly, thank you to Julia. Where's the ice cream?
Dan, thank you for your 5-star review and this comment - it made me smile and made my day! 🙂 Yes, the less you cook spinach, the prettier it is in color (while still tender and wilted).
This was pretty good and so EASY!! I’ll definitely be making it again. I used 10oz fresh baby spinach and let it wilt down. I also used Hearts of Palm noodles instead of pasta. It was all very tasty. I think I’ll cut back on the red pepper flakes just a tad though. Not bad, but I’d prefer a little less heat.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful review!
Made this last night. I used cherry tomatoes and a bag of fresh spinach. It was absolutely delicious!!!! My husband and I both loved it.
Judi, I am so glad the recipe was a hit! Love that you used a bag of fresh spinach - the more, the better! 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner, we loved it!!
We made it tonight and loved it! Will definitely make again. Easy and delicious!
Nancy, I am so happy to hear that! I hope you find other recipes on my website that you might like to try! 🙂
My husband and I love your recipes. This one is a particular favorite.
Made it, DELICIOUS!! Will be made again for sure. THANK YOU!!
Just made this and used Kirkland Organic diced tomatoes and I will make this again!
Served with Trader Joe's Cappellini and it was delicious.
Thanks for the ease of prep and simple instructions.
Nan, you are very welcome! So glad you found this recipe practical and worth repeating!
I made this tonight. It was absolutely delicious. I used grape tomatoes and didn’t cook the spinach first. We loved it
Anita, so glad you enjoyed this pasta. Thank you for the 5-star review! ❤️
Can you add some white wine to this recipe
Carolyn, yes, you can add a small amount of white wine - I would add it in step 5 together with tomatoes and spinach.
Hi, I never got a response from my question on the amount of spinach if it isn't cooked when you put it in. I don't see my question on here any longer either
Jenny, if using fresh spinach, I would use about 8 oz or 10 oz. 10 oz of fresh spinach usually cooks down to 1 cup of cooked spinach.
This was delicious. I cooked the shrimps and removed after the 3 minutes. I was afraid the shrimps would be too cooked. I then cooked the tomatoes. I added everything and it turned out great.
Sylvie, great feedback, thank you! Glad you loved the recipe and glad you stopped by and shared such a positive comment! 🙂
Turn out great! Will do again. I also used grape tomatoes!
Kim, I am so glad you loved this recipe! 🙂
This was delicious. I made it as is.
Sylvie, So glad the recipe turned out well!