Marry Me Shrimp Pasta

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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.

Overhead shot of skillet full of marry me shrimp pasta.

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
Ingredients
Flavor Variations
Instructions
Hint
Storage
Expert Tips
More Shrimp Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Related
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

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.

Bowlful of shrimp tossed with seasonings.

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.

Skillet full of sauteed onion, garlic, and tomatos

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.

Overhead shot of skillet full of creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.

4: Gently stir in the pasta. Then, add the shrimp and gently stir again. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!

Overhead shot of skillet full of shrimp with cream sauce

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.

Overhead shot of skillet with marry me shrimp.

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.

More Shrimp Recipes

Overhread shot of creamy shrimp pasta in skillet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you choose fresh shrimp?

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.

How do you know when shrimp are done?

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.

How do you avoid mushy pasta in sauce?

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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