Shrimp Pesto Pasta is a great choice for a simple weeknight dinner. It is simple to make yet it tastes like a dish from a fine dining restaurant! The recipe uses basic everyday ingredients found in most pantries and is perfect for family meals. The shrimp are seared with garlic and chili powder and then tossed with pasta, creamy basil pesto sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts! You can use homemade basil pesto or buy it in the store. It's a flexible recipe with a lot of variations and substitutions.
Toss cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and minced garlic.
Spread in a single layer in a casserole dish or on a large baking sheet. Be sure to space out the cherry tomatoes without overcrowding so that they roast nicely.
Roast for about 20 minutes while you prepare the pasta.
Cook the shrimp
This recipe uses 1 lb of large raw shrimp (peeled and deveined) which usually means 16 or 20 count. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and chili powder.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet until hot. Add shrimp and minced garlic and cook for about 3 minutes per each side until it's cooked through.
Make sure the shrimp are not overcrowded to avoid steaming. You might have to work in batches. Remove from heat. Remove shrimp to a plate.
Cook pasta
Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Remove from heat. Drain.
Assembly
Add cooked and drained pasta, basil pesto, and cream to the same skillet that you used to sear shrimp. Stir gently and bring to simmer for a couple of minutes to coat pasta with sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Add roasted tomatoes.
Add seared shrimp. Sprinkle a small amount of chili powder over cooked shrimp for presentation purposes, if you like.
Top with pine nuts (optional).
Season with extra salt and pepper or add crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
Store-bought basil pesto. When buying pesto at the grocery store, I usually buy the refrigerated pesto, Buitoni brand. I also love the refrigerated basil pesto sold at Whole Foods.
Make basil pesto from scratch. Even though the store-bought pesto works really well in pasta recipes, I have an easy and delicious recipe for the best homemade basil pesto made from scratch. Just scroll up above the recipe card and you will find it!
Adjust the amount of basil pesto. This recipe uses ¼ cup of pesto. Feel free to add extra tablespoons of pesto to your taste.
Add extra toppings. Lightly toasted pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese add extra flavor and texture.
Use toasted pine nuts. Toast them lightly in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 5 minutes or just a couple of minutes more. Watch carefully as these expensive nuts burn quickly!
Use extra veggies. If you want to add more vegetables, add sliced fresh tomatoes, sliced cooked asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, or mushrooms.
Add spiciness. Add red pepper flakes if you would like to make your pasta spicy.
Adjust seasonings. Even though the basil pesto tends to be salty, do taste the final dish before serving and season it with extra salt and pepper, if needed.