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:
This was absolutely fabulous! Used both hot Hungarian and smoked paprikas, and omitted boullion/water instead adding 1/2 cup white wine. The spice level was the bomb! A very easy but elegant dish to impress everyone. Thank you for giving me a recipe I will go to again and again!
Can I use table cream instead of heavy cream? I bought it by mistake lol
What if I haven’t any creme, half and half or whole milk. Can I leave it out altogether.
Delicious!! 10/10 would recommend. Kicked it up a notch with extra crushed red pepper and basil. Thank you!
Thank you Julia,I was looking for a recipe that I could modify to use the ingredients I had on hand. Chicken,shrimp,and chorizo. I used your base recipe and added a few things here and there. It turned out wonderfully and my family loved it. 5 stars,thanks again!
You are very welcome! I am so glad you found my recipe useful and versatile! Thank you for sharing your comment.
How did you do yours ?
ive been making this for a really long time now. Thank you for much for the base recipe Julia. I’ve added mushrooms and 1/4 cup of (Cabernet) red wine to this dish before adding the diced tomatoes. The flavor is out of this world!
I am so happy you’ve been making this recipe more than once! The addition of mushrooms and red wine to the sauce sounds delicious!
I was thinking about adding some red wine as well. I think I’ll do that next time around….and mushrooms are just a no brainers lol. I just didn’t have any at the moment.
Do you need chicken bouillon?
Chicken bouillon cube adds lots of flavor, but you can skip it if you like. If you choose not to use it, make sure to season the dish with enough salt and dried basil.
Best shrimp recipe. Love the fact that it’s easy. That is how I cook. Give me the ingredients directions …. That is probably why I don’t bake! Super flavorful. It can suit any spice/rich flavors depending on how much is added. Best shrimp recipe I have ever had!
Thank you for such a wonderful comment! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Could this be served over rice?
Yes, you can serve this over rice and omit pasta. It will be delicious!
Do you think this would be good if I added mushrooms?
Mushrooms would be delicious with shrimp pasta!