Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce – shrimp seared on stove top with crushed red pepper, paprika, and salt, then smothered in a spicy cream sauce made with chopped onions, minced garlic, crushed tomatoes and cream. Seasoned with basil and oregano. Delicious, creamy shrimp pasta recipe with lots of bold flavors!
This spicy shrimp pasta has everything you crave for in an Italian pasta: easy creamy tomato sauce made from scratch, seafood, spices (garlic, paprika, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper) – all of that over the perfectly shaped penne pasta. Simple recipe that you can make at home.
Penne is perfect for this pasta dish as it holds the sauce very well, and with every bite you will get not only pasta and shrimp but a generous scoop of spicy tomato cream sauce too! I’ve used gluten free pasta (brown rice penne) for this dish as well, and it was marvelous!
Whichever pasta you use, make sure to cook it al dente, then rinse it with cold water, drain it, and only then add it to the sauce. This will preserve the pasta structure and prevent it from getting mushy in a creamy sauce.
How to make spicy shrimp pasta with garlic tomato cream sauce:
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and cook shrimp on one side for about 1 minute, until shrimp turns pink on that side. While it cooks, GENEROUSLY sprinkle the top of shrimp with crushed red pepper, paprika and SALT to cover every single shrimp. Do not crowd the shrimp and don’t skimp on spices:
Using spatula, turn the shrimp over to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes (on medium-high or medium heat):
Remove shrimp to a plate, being careful to leave all the oil in the skillet. To the same skillet, add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook on medium high heat in the olive that will have a nice reddish color from paprika and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes until onions soften:
Next, add crushed tomatoes and chicken bullion cube dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water. Add basil and oregano, mix everything, bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, mixing occasionally and crushing all tomatoes into very small bites, until the garlic tomato cream sauce reduces just a bit. Season with more red pepper and salt, if needed.
Add heavy cream, while on simmer, and mix it in on very low simmer:
Almost immediately after you added cream and mixed it in on low simmer, remove the skillet from heat. Your garlic tomato cream sauce should look like this:
Add back the shrimp and pasta. Mix everything well to combine. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Add more spices (crushed red pepper, basil, oregano), if needed. Gently reheat your spicy shrimp pasta.
Italian-style pasta with spicy shrimp smothered in a homemade garlic tomato cream sauce. Easy shrimp pasta recipe that you can make at home any time with easy ingredients!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound shrimp without shells, and deveined
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cube chicken bullion (I used Knorr)
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz penne pasta (for gluten free version, use brown rice penne)
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Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook on one side for about 1 minute, until shrimp turns pink on that side. While it cooks, sprinkle the top of shrimp with crushed red pepper, paprika and salt to cover every single shrimp. Make sure not to crowd the shrimp in the skillet, otherwise moisture will form and shrimp won't sear right. And, don't skimp on spices. Using spatula turn shrimp over to the other side and cook for about 2 more minutes.
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Remove shrimp to a plate, being careful to leave all the oil in the skillet.
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To the same skillet, add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook on medium high heat in the olive oil that will have a nice reddish color from paprika and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, occasionally stirring, until onions soften.
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Add crushed tomatoes and chicken bullion cube dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water. Add basil and oregano, mix, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, mixing occasionally and crushing all tomatoes into very small bites, until the sauce reduces just a bit. Season with more red pepper and salt, if needed. In the end, while on simmer, add heavy cream, mix it in, and immediately remove from heat.
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In the mean time, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta al dente according to the package instructions. Drain.
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Add back the cooked shrimp and cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Mix everything well to combine. Reheat on low simmer, if needed. Do not bring to boil or high heat as it might affect the sauce texture. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.
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When serving, I like to sprinkle the top of pasta with just a touch of crushed red pepper.
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Want another delicious creamy shrimp pasta? Check out this video for Shrimp Mozzarella Pasta:
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe over the years. This is a NEVER FAIL crowd pleaser. I’ve made it so many times usually I just wing it but today I felt I needed to use the recipe and thought I’d leave my thanks for the deliciousness that is this sauce base!!
The sauce is so delicious but also very versatile to a range of other proteins. For example I often sub the prawns for chicken or mushrooms (depending on my budget or if I’m feeding vegetarians). Anyways I hope everyone enjoys this as much as my family!!!
Sarah, your comment truly made my day! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to share such an amazing and positive review! 🙂 So glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe over several years. Yes, this pasta sauce would work great with other proteins, such as chicken. Mushrooms are delicious, too!
What size can crushed tomatoes do I use?
I used 2 cups of crushed tomatoes, so that will be about 16 oz.
I made this tonight for my boyfriend’s birthday, and it turned out amazing!!! Thank you for the recipe! I added chopped fresh red bell peppers to the onions and garlic, and it was very flavorful.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Love the addition of red bell peppers. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to share such a positive comment!
MMMMMM this was so delish!!! Made a big skillet of mushrooms as a side and they ate it all!!!!
Did you use fresh or dried basil? 1 Tbs seems like a lot if dried
Hi Sandy! I used 1 tablespoon of DRIED BASIL. It might seem like a lot, but for the amount of the sauce, it’s just right!
I made this tonight..followed the recipe exactly..just doubled it for extras..DELICIOUS! I will definitely make it again! Luckily I had everything on hand to make this at a moments notice..thank you!
My husband and I just made this for lunch, and holy cow it’s amazing!! Definitely will be adding to our regular meals.
Is the basil fresh or dried? 1T seems a lot for dried basil?
This was fantastic! Really great taste and so easy to make! I followed the recipe as written and would not change a thing. Maybe the spice for those that don’t care for it. I will definitely sub chicken bites for the shrimp too. Love love this recipe!
This recipe is PERFECT! I’ve been making this dish for over three years now, so my comment is long overdue 😉 The sauce is so creamy and flavourful, and the shrimp is always perfectly seasoned. Thank you, Julia, for sharing your lovely recipes. They are staples in my family and some of my favourite dishes to make for guests.