This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Garlic Shrimp and Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Pasta in Spicy Cream Sauce - a delicious, Italian-inspired seafood pasta recipe. If you want to make something different with shrimp, try this recipe! It's easy and you'll love it if you like sun-dried tomatoes.

There is lots of sauce in this seafood pasta. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp (which is easy to do). But even if you do overcook the shrimp, there is so much cream sauce, you won't even notice if the shrimp does get rubbery. That's the beauty of this recipe. Garlic Shrimp together with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is smothered in Spicy Creamy Sauce and served over fettuccine pasta. With everything spiced up with basil and crushed red pepper. Italian-inspired comfort food that's super easy to make!

How to make garlic shrimp pasta:
Start by cooking sun-dried tomatoes with minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add shrimp, heavy cream, and spices:

Add the Parmesan cheese to melt it in the sauce, then add cooked pasta and mix everything in:

Adjust spices by adding more of basil, crushed red pepper, and salt:


Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine pasta (use gluten free brown rice fettuccine for gluten free version)
- 1 lb shrimp (Use unfrozen uncooked shrimp. If you have to, you can use unfrozen cooked shrimp - it will work here too)
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup half-and-half or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain (reserving some pasta water).
- Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing as described below:
- In a large skillet, saute minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar - see note above) for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
- Add shrimp, sprinkle with a small amount of salt, paprika, and cook on medium heat for about 2 more minutes.
- Add heavy cream, basil, and crushed red pepper to the skillet with shrimp, bring to a stable simmer, and make sure the sauce is hot. Whisk in half of the Parmesan cheese (½ cup) gradually into the hot cream, then stir on the lowest heat setting until the cheese melts. If the sauce gets too thick, add ¼ cup of half-and-half to thin it out. Add more Parmesan to the sauce if it's too thin. You don't have to use the whole 1 cup of Parmesan - it depends on how thick you want your sauce. Use half-and-half to thin it out if it gets too thick.
- Remove the sauce from heat. Add more salt, basil, and more crushed red pepper if desired, to taste.
- Add cooked pasta to the creamy mixture, add more salt, basil, and more crushed red pepper if desired, to taste. If the sauce is too thick, use the reserved pasta water to thin it out.
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.

What does one cup half and half mean.
Half and half is a US milk product. You can make 1 cup of half and half by combining 1/2 cup of milk + 1/2 cup of heavy cream (or cream with the fat content of 30 % or 36%).
This is a TOP SHELVE dinner...Hubby is in love..hehe!...I have printed out and will be making this on a regular basis.. Thank you.:)
So happy to hear that! Thank you for your kind comment. And, enjoy this recipe!
This is a TOP SHELVE dinner...Hubby is in love..hehe!...I have printed out and will be making this on a regular basis.. Thank you.:)
Thank you! So nice to hear that.
made this tonight for the first time and it was amazing! I actually put it over zoodles! All 4 of my kids said it was one of their favorite meals! Thank you so much!
Andrea, you're very welcome! 🙂
Good Evening!
Would you be able to tell me how much a serving size is for this recipe (I.e. 1 cup)? This recipe looks delicious! I am trying to learn how to count my calories and nutrients for a healthier lifestyle.
Thank you for your time.
The total recipe makes 4 servings. I haven't measured it in cups but if you divide the whole recipe equally into 4 plates/bowls, you'll get 1 serving in each plate/bowl.
This was seriously delicious....my sons both said this is a keeper, and my husband thought I should have doubled the recipe. Thanks for making me the dinner hero tonight!
You're so welcome! Your comment made my day! So glad your family enjoyed this recipe.
Such an easy and yummy recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. I used to make this A LOT back in 2016 and recently found my way back to making this delish dish!
Thank you, Kat! So nice to know you've been making this recipe for a while now. Thank you for such a kind comment! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, came out great and the kids loved it.
You're very welcome! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Looks amazing and tastes great. The whole family loved it. Will make it a family favorite.
Thank you, Jennie! Your comment made my day! 🙂
I made this tonight, added some onions like someone else did, and this way AMAZING!! Absolutely delicious!! Thanks for sharing!! Love it!
You're very welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I love this dish.
Thank you! 🙂
YES!
I have made this many times and each time it comes out great. my whole family loves it . I'm trying to lose 5 lbs for summer coming up . aprox how much is serving for this?
So glad you've been enjoying this recipe! 🙂
This was very tasty! I only added some onions to the recipe. Love it! Thanks!!
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
I made this last night and it was so yummy! I added a few ingredients such as a scallion and mushrooms. I used frozen raw shrimp because it's all I had and it was still good! I just made sure to drain any extra liquid after the saute. I added a little extra red pepper flake and garlic. I also used Italian blend cheese in the package to make it super easy. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it's in my dinner rotation now! 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a detailed comment! Glad you liked it and thank you for the feedback!