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    Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce

    Published: Nov 05, 2014 / 276 Comments

    811.1K shares
    • Facebook7.0K
    Recipe Print

    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.

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    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.

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    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 ¼ 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.

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    4.85 from 198 votes

    Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce

    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!  
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 543 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 pound shrimp without shells, and deveined
    • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 small onion finely chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves minced
    • 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
    • ¼ cup water
    • ½ cube chicken bullion (I used Knorr)
    • 1 tablespoon basil
    • ¼ teaspoon oregano dried
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • 8 oz penne pasta (for gluten free version, use brown rice penne)

    Instructions 

    • 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.
    • 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 oil that will have a nice reddish color from paprika and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, occasionally stirring, until onions soften.
    • Add crushed tomatoes and chicken bullion cube dissolved in ¼ 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.
    • In the mean time, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta al dente according to the package instructions.  Drain. 
    • 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.
    • When serving, I like to sprinkle the top of pasta with just a touch of crushed red pepper.

    Notes

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

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    543
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    20
    g
    31
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    8
    g
    50
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    326
    mg
    109
    %
    Sodium
     
    1205
    mg
    52
    %
    Potassium
     
    646
    mg
    18
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    55
    g
    18
    %
    Fiber
     
    4
    g
    17
    %
    Sugar
     
    8
    g
    9
    %
    Protein
     
    33
    g
    66
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    825
    IU
    17
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    18.7
    mg
    23
    %
    Calcium
     
    249
    mg
    25
    %
    Iron
     
    4.9
    mg
    27
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!

     

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    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. CarrieAnn

      September 20, 2021 at 2:05 pm

      Dairy free substitute?

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 22, 2021 at 3:43 pm

        Use coconut milk instead of cream.

        Reply
    2. Phyllis

      September 09, 2021 at 9:47 am

      What size cans of crushed tomatoes do you use? Thanks

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 22, 2021 at 4:29 pm

        I used a large can of crushed tomatoes and measured 2 cups of crushed tomatoes into this recipe.

        Reply
    3. Vanessa Walker

      August 05, 2021 at 7:57 pm

      Hi Julia - excellent recipe - the flavors were excellent - perfect amount of spice for my family. I added a pinch of sugar to take down the acidity and grilled the shrimp. Thank you for sharing

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 7:15 pm

        Vanessa, you are very welcome! Glad you liked it! Thank you for the comment! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Misty Henry

      July 13, 2021 at 10:07 pm

      Made this recipe tonight and it was amazing! I did add fresh baby spinach to it.

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 10:13 pm

        Glad you liked it! The addition of spinach sounds delicious! Thank you for 5-star review! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Wanda

      June 16, 2021 at 4:48 pm

      I want to make this recipe, but I would love to use white wine instead of water. Can i???

      Reply
    6. Leandra

      April 09, 2021 at 12:19 am

      Hello! What size can of tomatoes do I need?
      Thank you

      Reply
    7. Nadine

      April 05, 2021 at 5:11 am

      Fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. Just the right amount of heat, even the nonspicy eaters loved it. Makes sure to buy quality crushed tomatoes. I served it with roasted asparagus and garlic bread. Everyone raved. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    8. Lisa M

      March 15, 2021 at 8:49 am

      So delicious and pretty quick to prepare!
      Love the heat of the dish, whole family loved it!
      Thanks for a new addition to the rotation.

      Reply
    9. Michelle Wisniewski

      March 06, 2021 at 9:56 am

      I have NEVER commented on a recipe before, but this was SOOOOO good, and I made it exactly as written which is unusual for me. Seriously the perfect tomato cream sauce. Even my husband - who's version of high praise is "it's all right" - raved about this. Thank you!!

      Reply
    10. Bernadette

      February 11, 2021 at 9:18 am

      I almost never comment on recipes, but I'm making an exception! I cook a lot and think I'm pretty decent at it, but I'd never come up with quite the right combination of tomato and cream and spice in a pasta sauce - this was literally PERFECT, and so quick and simple. I look up recipes for inspiration and rarely use them "as is", but the only thing I changed with this one was not cooking the shrimp first (because I'm lazy like that)...I just let them simmer in the tomato sauce right before adding the cream and pasta. Thanks so much for the recipe. Like others have said, there are many ways to tweak this and I know I will, but the base recipe is going into regular rotation in our house.

      Reply
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