Garlic Shrimp Pasta With Tomato Sauce Recipe
You can never go wrong with a spaghetti dish. Whether it's for a quick mealtime or a luxurious dinner party main, you and your guests will always be satisfied when spaghetti is on the menu. If you are looking for a new recipe to serve up on spaghetti night, we recommend this garlic shrimp pasta with tomato sauce recipe from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye. It's the perfect dinner option that can be dressed up or down depending on your preferences and the guests around your table.
If you are a shrimp lover, you will absolutely love this pasta dish. The shrimp are fried to juicy perfection in heaps of garlic and chile flake–infused butter and served with spaghetti in a rich, homemade tomato sauce. Served with a good handful of fresh basil, this dish is bursting with simple Italian flavors that are both rich and comforting. Although making a tomato sauce from scratch can feel like a real labor of love, this dish comes together in just half an hour. Once you taste it, you'll be glad you didn't reach for the ready-made sauces. Spaghetti doesn't get much better than this, so read on to find out how to make this garlic shrimp pasta dish with homemade tomato sauce.
Gather the ingredients for this garlic shrimp pasta with tomato sauce recipe
To begin this garlic shrimp pasta with tomato sauce recipe, you will first need to gather the ingredients. For the pasta and sauce, you will want olive oil, an onion, garlic, a can of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, salt, black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, red chile flakes, and spaghetti. For the shrimp, you will also want butter, more garlic, red chile flakes, tail-on shrimp, and fresh basil leaves.
Step 1: Begin the sauce
Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pan to a medium temperature.
Step 2: Saute the onion and garlic
Sauté the onion and garlic for 6 to 8 minutes, until translucent.
Step 3: Add chopped tomatoes and herbs
Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and chile flakes.
Step 4: Simmer
Leave the sauce to simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Boil water
Meanwhile, boil a large saucepan of salted water.
Step 6: Cook the spaghetti
Cook the spaghetti according to the packet's instructions until al dente.
Step 7: Drain
Drain well and set aside.
Step 8: Heat a pan with butter
Make the shrimp: Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons butter to a medium-high heat.
Step 9: Saute the garlic and chile flakes
Add the sliced garlic and chile flakes and saute for 30 seconds.
Step 10: Add the shrimp
Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 11: Flip the shrimp
Flip and finish cooking the shrimp for another 2 to 3 minutes, until pink all over.
Step 12: Combine the spaghetti and sauce
Combine the spaghetti in the pan containing the tomato sauce.
Step 13: Add the cooked shrimp
Add the cooked garlic shrimp to the pan, drizzling over any pan juices.
Step 14: Serve
Mix well and serve immediately, topped with plenty of fresh basil.
What to serve with garlic shrimp pasta
Garlic Shrimp Pasta With Tomato Sauce Recipe
Full of aromatic flavors and the spicy kick of red chile flakes, this garlic shrimp pasta is the perfect way to change up plain spaghetti and tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- For the sauce and pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 pinch red chile flakes
- 12 ounces dried spaghetti
- For the shrimp
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 pinch red chile flakes
- 1 pound shrimp, tail-on
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves to serve
Directions
- Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pan to a medium temperature.
- Saute the onion and garlic for 6 to 8 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and chile flakes.
- Leave the sauce to simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil a large saucepan of salted water.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the packet's instructions until al dente.
- Drain well and set aside.
- Make the shrimp: Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons butter to a medium-high heat.
- Add the sliced garlic and chile flakes and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip and finish cooking the shrimp for another 2 to 3 minutes, until pink all over.
- Combine the spaghetti in the pan containing the tomato sauce.
- Add the cooked garlic shrimp to the pan, drizzling over any pan juices.
- Mix well and serve immediately, topped with plenty of fresh basil.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 1,053 |
| Total Fat | 22.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 395.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 142.4 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 10.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 13.6 g |
| Sodium | 1,108.8 mg |
| Protein | 70.4 g |
How can this shrimp pasta dish be adapted?
One of the many wonderful things about pasta dishes is how versatile they are and how easy it is to switch things up depending on your personal preferences and what you might have lying around in the fridge that needs to be used up. If you're looking to bulk out this dish a little, including some vegetables in the pasta sauce is a great way to add additional vitamins and minerals to your dinnertime. We recommend finely dicing celery, carrots, zucchini, or bell peppers and sauteing them along with the onions to best incorporate them into your homemade tomato sauce. If you fancy a little more meat in your sauce, you can fry some diced bacon or pancetta instead when sauteing your onions, as the flavor of bacon works wonderfully alongside the sweetness of shrimp.
For more subtle additions, you can add different flavorings to your tomato sauce or the shrimp before frying them. Adding some diced red chile is a great way to turn up the heat and make a spaghetti arrabbiata-style tomato sauce. Adding additional spices, such as paprika and cumin, when frying the shrimp will add a delicious spiced finish, while herbs, such as parsley, thyme, or chives, will add freshness and earthiness to your tomato sauce.
How can I prepare shrimp if bought with the shell on?
If the shop only sells whole shrimp or you happen to have a bag of shrimp in the freezer but they still have their shells on, you'll be pleased to know that it is actually quite simple to peel and devein shrimp. This recipe calls for tail-on shrimp, which just means shrimp that have been peeled and prepared and have the tails left on. This isn't strictly necessary for your meal and you can remove the tails if you prefer, but it does lend visual appeal to the dish and provides an easy way to handle the shrimp.
To prepare your shell-on shrimp for this recipe, first remove the head. To do this, simply twist and pull, and the heads should easily come off. Then, you will want to carefully loosen and peel off the layers of shell, also pulling off the legs underneath the shrimp. Once you've removed the shell (keeping the tail in place, if desired), devein the shrimp before cooking them. This involves removing the digestive tract of the shrimp. Carefully slice down the backs of the shrimp to expose the dark vein. Then, gently pull it out and rinse the shrimp to make sure the waste is washed away. Once you have done this, your shrimp are ready to use.