Looking for an easy shrimp recipe? Then, try this Creamy Pasta with Shrimp, Bacon, Spinach, Garlic, and Tomatoes!
This is one of the best ways to cook shrimp - by smothering it in a creamy Parmesan sauce with lots of veggies and bacon, and red pepper flakes! Try this easy shrimp pasta sometime soon, and I am sure you will like it!
It's very easy to overcook shrimp, which makes it tough and rubbery, which is why I love this shrimp pasta recipe as the cream sauce helps keep shrimp tender and moist and prevents it from getting dry and overcooked. The sauce, made with bacon, spinach, garlic and tomatoes, is so delicious, you will have to restrain yourself.
Enjoy the Creamy Pasta with Shrimp, Bacon, Spinach, Garlic, and Tomatoes, and don't forget to top your pasta dish, once it's ready, with extra Parmesan cheese (preferably, freshly grated).
Creamy Pasta with Shrimp, Bacon, Spinach, Garlic, and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound shrimp , uncooked, peeled, deveined
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil - combined)
- 4 tomatoes , chopped in large cubes
- 5 garlic cloves , minced
- 8 strips bacon , COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese , freshly shredded
- 6 oz spinach fresh
- 10 oz penne pasta (for gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese , shredded, for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add shrimp and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked side of shrimp with salt, paprika and Italian seasoning. Flip the shrimp over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, flip shrimp over again a couple of times, making sure all shrimp is covered in spices and until the shrimp turns pink in color, for a couple of minutes. Remove shrimp from the pan and keep shrimp warm.
- To the same pan (but without shrimp), add chopped tomatoes, garlic, half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat), crushed red pepper flakes. Mix everything, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring everything on medium heat.
- Add half and half and bring to boil. Add another ¼ teaspoon salt, stir. Only after half and half starts boiling, add Parmesan cheese (freshly shredded) and start stirring. Once the cheese start melting, immediately reduce heat to medium and stir, while simmering, until the cheese completely melts and the sauce becomes creamy, which should take 1 minute (at most 2 minutes). Then, reduce heat to low, add fresh spinach, cover with the lid and let the sauce sit, simmering on very low heat, for about 1 minute. Remove the lid, stir the sauce, the spinach should start to wilt, keep stirring on low heat, until the spinach wilts, for another minute.
- In the mean time bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the past.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce, stir everything. Add cooked shrimp and remaining half of bacon (cooked and drained of fat) to the skillet. Season with more salt and red pepper flakes if necessary. To serve, top the pasta with grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
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.
Want another delicious creamy shrimp pasta? Check out this video for Shrimp Mozzarella Pasta:
Big disappointment. The cheese separated from half and half. Expensive ingredients ruined.
Shirley,
Here are some troubleshooting tips:
➡️ Use parmesan cheese at room temperature! VERY IMPORTANT! I would take it out of the fridge and place the amount of cheese you need to use on a plate or in a bowl at least 30 minutes before starting this recipe to let the cheese come to room temperature. It makes blending it with the sauce so much easier!
➡️ Use heavy cream next time.
➡️ Bring the sauce to a stable simmer (but not boiling violently) for about 3 minutes before adding cheese - this is done to warm everything up. Then, scatter the shredded cheese (use only half of it) in a thin layer evenly all over the sauce across the whole cooking pan surface (don't just dump the cheese in one spot). Then, stir it in on a low simmer, slowly, and patiently until it melts. Do not let the sauce violently boil - just gently boil (simmer). Add the remaining cheese in a similar fashion if the sauce is still thin.
➡️ If the sauce did separate, you can somewhat salvage it by a) adding some heavy cream to add creaminess; b) serving your pasta dish with lots of grated Parmesan sprinkled on top (and some of the grated cheese mixed into the sauce) to disguise the "broken" texture of the sauce.