This Marry Me shrimp pasta is everything you love about Marry Me chicken pasta but made with shrimp this time. A rich, creamy, seasoned, sun-dried tomato sauce, gluten-free pasta, and perfectly cooked shrimp come together to create a seafood version of the viral hit everyone knows and loves.
I love cooking shrimp pasta dishes. Shrimp is so delicious and mild that you can make just about any kind of pasta dish with it. Unfortunately, I know so many people who shy away from cooking shrimp because they never know if it's done or not.
That makes me a sad panda, so here's the scoop. If you use a good meat thermometer, you never have to worry about that. I love my ThermoPro Lightning because it has a 1-second response time, an accurate, wide temperature range, a backlit screen, and 180-degree auto-rotating display. It even has temperature lock and motion-sensing on-off and sleep-wake modes. It's IP65 waterproof, as well, so I have no worries there, either.
I'm super happy with my ThermoPro. It's made cooking all kinds of meats, especially tricky ones like shrimp, incredibly easy. I highly recommend it. Use code: Nicole20 for 20% off your ThermoPro Lightning purchase.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Marry Me Pasta uses simple ingredients to create deep flavor. There's nothing fancy and no struggling to find specialty ingredients.
- Easy to Make: This is a one-pan dish that's ready in just a few minutes.
- Rich and Creamy Sauce: The sun-dried tomato sauce is made with heavy cream and parmesan cheese to create a rich, creamy, flavorful sauce.
- Perfect Family Dinner: This serves 4 to 6 people, making it a perfect family dinner.
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- Extra-Large Shrimp: Extra-large shrimp provide a big blast of shrimp flavor and great texture.
- Seasonings: A blend of smoked paprika, Italian seasonings, salt, and black pepper gives the shrimp a deep flavor.
- Sun Dried Tomato Oil: Sun dried tomato oil helps give the shrimp a nice exterior and infuses more flavor into them.
For the Sauce
- Tomato Paste and Sun Dried Tomatoes: These create the flavorful base for the creamy tomato sauce.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream gives the sauce its rich, creamy texture.
- Vegetable Broth: Vegetable broth helps create the perfect sauce consistency and adds more flavor.
- Onions and Garlic: These classic aromatics add pungent, slightly biting flavor with a note of sweetness.
- Spinach: Spinach adds more flavor, color, and texture to the pasta.
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese thickens the sauce further and adds a deep, earthy flavor to it.
- Gluten-Free Flour: Gluten-free flour combines with the butter used to sweat the vegetables to make a roux.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Shrimp: You can make this dish with shrimp, prawns, tiger shrimp, lobster, crab, or even scallops.
- Dairy-Free: Make a gluten and dairy-free version of this recipe by using plant-based butter and cream.
- Pasta: I used penne, but any short, textured pasta will work well.
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
- Seafood or Fish Stock: For more seafood flavor, use this in place of vegetable stock.
Instructions
For the Shrimp
1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta per the package instructions for al dente while you make the shrimp.
2: Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with the paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until they're evenly coated.
3: Cook the shrimp in the sun dried tomato oil on medium heat for about 2 minutes per side until they're opaque and C-shaped. Their internal temperature should be 165 degrees. I use my Lightning Pro 1-Second Thermometer for a super-fast readout.
4: Set the shrimp aside to cool.
For the Sauce
1: Melt the butter over medium heat in the same pan. Then, cook the garlic, onions, sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings until fragrant.
2: Add the flour to the tomato mixture and stir until well combined. Then, Add the broth, heavy cream, and spinach.
3: Cook the sauce until it begins to thicken and the spinach begins to wilt. Then, add the parmesan cheese and stir until creamy.
4: Gently stir in the pasta. Then, add the shrimp and gently stir again. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!
Hint
Your shrimp is perfectly cooked when it's C-shaped. If the shrimp is O-shaped, it's been overcooked.
Storage
You can refrigerate this Marry Me shrimp pasta recipe for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.
To reheat the dish, place it in a large, deep-sided skillet and cook on medium-low heat until heated through.
Expert Tips
- Use the ThermoPro Lightning meat thermometer to quickly and accurately measure the shrimp's internal temperature for doneness. Use Code: Nicole20 for 20% off.
- Your shrimp should be C-shaped when fully cooked. If it's O-shaped, it's been overcooked.
- Stir your sauce constantly while you cook it to prevent sticking.
- Be gentle when stirring in the pasta and shrimp so you don't break the pasta apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh shrimp should be bright pink or gray and slightly transparent. Avoid shrimp that are dull or pale. Shrimp should also have a fresh, clean, saltwater smell. If they smell fishy or have an ammonia smell, they are not fit to eat.
Perfectly cooked shrimp should be pink, opaque, and C-shaped. O-shaped shrimp have been overcooked. For the most accurate cooking, use a high-quality meat thermometer like the ThermoPro Lightning to measure the shrimp's internal temperature. If it's 165 degrees, the shrimp is perfectly cooked.
Remove your pasta a minute or two before the specified cooking time for al dented on the box. The pasta will cook to perfection after it's been added to the sauce.
In addition, stir your pasta into your sauce gently to avoid mashing it or breaking it apart.
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📖 Recipe
Marry Me Shrimp Pasta
Video
Equipment
- Thermopro Lightning meat thermometer Use Code: Nicole20 for 20% off
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 1 pound extra large shrimp peeled/deveined
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¾ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon sun-dried tomato oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
For the Sauce
- 2 ½ tablespoon Cento tomato paste
- ½ cup Cento sun-dried tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ⅓ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoon Gluten free 1:1 flour
- 2 cups diced spinach
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon minced onion
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil chopped for garnish
- 12 oz gluten free penne
Instructions
For the Shrimp
- Boil the pasta according to the package directions for al dente while you cook the shrimp.
- Toss the shrimp with the paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until they're evenly coated.
- Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, cook the shrimp for two minutes on both sides until they are pink, opaque, and C-shaped. If they're O-shaped, you've cooked them too long.
- Set the cooked shrimp aside to cool.
For the Sauce
- Melt the butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Then, add the garlic, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and dried basil. Cook the mixture for about two minutes until fragrant.
- Add the flour to the aromatics and stir well. Then, add the broth, heavy cream, and spinach. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens and the spinach starts to wilt - about 5 minutes. Then, add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
- Carefully mix the pasta into the sauce. Then, add the shrimp and gently stir again. Garnish with fresh basil, and enjoy.
Notes
- This recipe serves six.
- Refrigerate this pasta for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Because this dish is made with cream, freezing is not recommended.
- Shrimp is perfectly cooked when it's C-shaped. If your shrimp is O-shaped, you've overcooked it.
- You can also make this dish with chicken, steak, or other seafood like scallops, crab, or lobster. Just sear the meat and then add it at the end.
Lizzy says
Wow! This marry me shrimp pasta was incredible. My husband loved it and asked for seconds. Saving this recipe in my favorites!
Nicole Kendrick says
SO happy to hear that!!!
Eric says
This recipe is so tempting. Creamy, garlicky, and cozy, with perfectly cooked shrimp and pasta that feels both comforting and a little indulgent.