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.
melanie
Absolutely love it! Such an easy and healthy dish. Thank you, this is a must in my home now
Julia
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know you've enjoyed this recipe!
Lisa Ridenour
What is a good alternative to the pasta to lighten this up a bit?
Julia
Use roasted spaghetti squash. Scrape out the strands - it will work great as a pasta substitution in this recipe!
Esther
Thank you for all the easy pasta recipes,soo good
Julia
You're welcome! Enjoy!
Moe
I don't have any lemons or lemon juice. How would it be if I add a splash of apple cider vinegar?
Dale Melton
This sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to try it
Julia
Enjoy!
Margaret
Thanks for this easy, fresh and delicious recipe. It has become one of our favorites. I add lots of fresh,uncooked, spinach. Love it.
Julia
Thank you, Margaret! I am so happy to hear this has become one of your favorite recipes! I also love to add A LOT of spinach to my pasta!
Daphne McD
First time I cooked a shrimp dish, and it was a hit! I will make this again for sure.
Julia
I am so glad you found this recipe useful. 🙂
Nutritionist Mira
Love all the ingredients in this recipe!
Julia
Enjoy!
Chantell Frazier
I’ve made this a few times. This great and I also shared with friends who are making too. I’ve given up pasta so I put the shrimp, tomato and spinach mix over zoodles (zucchini noodles) which came out great. Thank you so much. I don’t have to go to a restaurant for this anymore.
Lori Farris
Absolutely fabulous!!! And so easy to make. Will definitely be making it again soon.
Vett
This is so easy to make and has all the fresh ingredients my family loves. My family loves it, and now all my close friends are making it as well. Thanks for sharing
Julia
You are so welcome! I am so glad that your family and all your close friends are making this recipe now. Wow! So nice to hear that. 🙂
Carolyn
This was easy to make and, ohhh my goodness, it was delicious!! Will definitely make this again!
Julia
So happy to read comments like yours! Enjoy! 🙂
Julie
This was really delicious! I didn't have spinach but had zucchini, turned out great! I'm actually going to make it again tonight but I'm going to try adding wine like others have mentioned. Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe!
Julia
You're very welcome, Julie! I am glad you liked this pasta! Adding zucchini sounds YUM!
Ramon
Since I am not big on seafood, I used chicken instead and it was so good!!! Will definitely be making again.
Julia
So glad to hear that it worked well with chicken! I am glad you liked this recipe!
Michelle
Was craving a light shrimp/pasta/tomato dish tonight but needed a recipe to guide me. This was perfect. I ended up with more of a sauce after the first tablespoon of butter and oil so I didn’t add too much more. Used frozen shrimp and fresh spinach; I would add more spinach next time. If you’re using fresh spinach I don’t think you need to pre-cook it; it will wilt down perfectly when added. Added a splash of white wine as others have also mentioned. Used spaghetti instead of fettuccine. Turned out great; my 6 year old asked for seconds! Will definitely be adding this to the rotation.
Julia
Thank you! So glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving such a detailed feedback. I agree, you don't have to pre-cook the spinach, just let it wilt when added. Great idea to add white wine to the sauce.
Aldina
Amazing recipe. Loved it very much, especially since I am always looking for the ways to include spinach into food. In fact, I liked it so much, I included it in my 10 most popular Pinterest summer recipes. Would love if you checked it out