• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Julia's Album

I make lots of dinner recipes

  • Pasta
  • Chicken
  • Seafood
  • PRESS
  • About
  • Facebook
  • bloglovin
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Pasta Chicken

Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce

Published: Nov 05, 2014 | 233 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

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!

shrimp pasta recipe, shrimp penne recipe, spicy pasta sauce, spicy tomato sauce, gluten free dinner recipe, gluten free shrimp pasta

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.

shrimp pasta, shrimp pasta easy, shrimp and penne, seafood recipes, seafood pasta, red crushed pepper and basil pasta

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.

homemade tomato cream sauce, easy pasta dinne recipe, quick pasta recipes, quick Italian pasta dishes

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:

cooking shrimp, sprinkle the top of shrimp with crushed red pepper, paprika and salt to cover every single shrimp

Using spatula, turn the shrimp over to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes (on medium-high or medium heat):

Flip shrimp over on the other side, how to cook shrimp

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:

Cooking chopped onion and garlic

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.

adding crushed tomatoes to the skillet

Add heavy cream, while on simmer, and mix it in on very low simmer:

Adding heavy cream to the skillet

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:

How to make homemade Tomato cream sauce from scratch

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.

shrimp pasta recipe, shrimp penne recipe, spicy pasta sauce, spicy tomato sauce, gluten free dinner recipe

5 from 39 votes
Print
Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

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!  

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 543 kcal
Author: Julia
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)
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. Remove shrimp to a plate, being careful to leave all the oil in the skillet.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. In the mean time, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta al dente according to the package instructions.  Drain. 

  6. 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.

  7. When serving, I like to sprinkle the top of pasta with just a touch of crushed red pepper.
Recipe Notes

Follow Julia on Pinterest and Facebook to get more recipes and dinner ideas for your weekly meal planning!

Nutrition Facts
Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 543 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 326mg109%
Sodium 1205mg52%
Potassium 646mg18%
Carbohydrates 55g18%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 825IU17%
Vitamin C 18.7mg23%
Calcium 249mg25%
Iron 4.9mg27%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Want another delicious creamy shrimp pasta? Check out this video for Shrimp Mozzarella Pasta:

Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten Free, Pasta, Recipe, Tomatoes, Vegetables Published: Nov 05, 2014 233 Comments

Follow Julia on Pinterest and Facebook to get more recipes and dinner ideas!

Please leave your comment and STAR RATING in the comments section below

Previous Post: « Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Feta, Pine Nuts
Next Post: Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jonleigh Piper

    May 30, 2020 at 9:06 am

    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!

    Reply
  2. Ashley Alexandre

    Apr 21, 2020 at 10:11 am

    Can I use table cream instead of heavy cream? I bought it by mistake lol

    Reply
  3. Linda Z

    Apr 05, 2020 at 5:42 pm

    What if I haven’t any creme, half and half or whole milk. Can I leave it out altogether.

    Reply
  4. Megan

    Mar 31, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    Delicious!! 10/10 would recommend. Kicked it up a notch with extra crushed red pepper and basil. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. John

    Sep 10, 2019 at 9:24 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Julia

      Sep 28, 2019 at 2:30 pm

      You are very welcome! I am so glad you found my recipe useful and versatile! Thank you for sharing your comment.

      Reply
    • Stephanie Suarez

      Apr 20, 2020 at 5:03 pm

      How did you do yours ?

      Reply
  6. Justin

    Mar 31, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Julia

      Jun 03, 2019 at 6:09 pm

      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!

      Reply
    • Mandee

      Mar 26, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      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.

      Reply
  7. Mateo Griego

    Mar 10, 2019 at 1:08 am

    Do you need chicken bouillon?

    Reply
    • Julia

      Mar 25, 2019 at 7:05 pm

      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.

      Reply
  8. Teresa Nelson

    Feb 21, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Julia

      Feb 22, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      Thank you for such a wonderful comment! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  9. T

    Feb 15, 2019 at 3:55 pm

    Could this be served over rice?

    Reply
    • Julia

      Feb 15, 2019 at 6:37 pm

      Yes, you can serve this over rice and omit pasta. It will be delicious!

      Reply
  10. Johnay

    Feb 08, 2019 at 9:16 pm

    Do you think this would be good if I added mushrooms?

    Reply
    • Julia

      Feb 10, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      Mushrooms would be delicious with shrimp pasta!

      Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Food blog, dinner recipes, weeknight dinners, chicken dinners, pasta recipesWelcome to my blog where I share easy-to-make weeknight dinner recipes!

Join me here:

Follow Us On PinterestFollow Us On FacebookFollow Us On InstagramFollow Us On Twitter

Footer

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Disclaimer | About | Featured On

Copyright © 2019 · All Rights Reserved · JuliasAlbum.com

FOODIE PRO THEME BY FEAST DESIGN CO. * POWERED BY THE GENESIS FRAMEWORK