Shrimp and Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce

This is our go-to meal when time is tight and I have put off making dinner so long that most of my options are no longer an option because we would be eating dinner at 11:00 pm. Yes, there are nights even I don’t want to cook!

I always have a few pounds of frozen shrimp in the freezer to pull out on days like this. The shrimp can be thawed under running cold water in about 15 minutes and dinner is on the table in about 25 minutes beginning to end.

Verdict:

I know that my family loves this dish each time I serve it. I always add a bit of extra garlic to ours but if your family is not as fond of garlic as mine start with a bit less and build up the flavor until it is just right for your family.

I served this with green beans and a green side salad.

For my mostly gluten-free son I served his over gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free dish.

Tip: I have learned for a thicker, richer sauce to remove the shrimp before they are fully cooked and let the sauce reduce to 1/2 its volume to allow any excess moisture to cook off and not dilute your sauce. If you allow the shrimp to cook through and then serve the sauce it will be thin and watery.

Shrimp and Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce

Servings: 4-6
Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

2 lbs. frozen shrimp, thawed and tails off
1 lb. angel hair pasta
3/4 cup butter, divided
4 -6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of parsley
Parmesan cheese, shredded (if desired)

Directions:

Start pot for water boiling while preparing shrimp for cooking. Cook the angel hair pasta according to package directions. If you put the pasta in the pan at just about the time you add the shrimp back into the sauce they should be done at just about the same time.
Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted add garlic to pan and allow to cook for about 1-2 minutes until it is fragrant.
Add shrimp to pan and allow to cook 2 minutes without stirring. Stir shrimp and allow to cook one more minute. Remove shrimp from pan with a slotted spoon. You will add the shrimp back in later to finish cooking.
Allow liquid in pan to come to a slow simmer and simmer for 3-5 minutes (or more depending on how much water was in the shrimp) until the liquid has reduced by 1/2.
Add your pasta to your water to cook now if making pasta.
In the skillet turn heat down to medium-low and add 1/2 cup butter and parsley to pan. Allow butter to melt and then add shrimp into pan.
Cook until shrimp are cooked through and hot.
Remove sauce from heat. Drain pasta.
Serve Shrimp and Butter Garlic Sauce over the pasta with Parmesan cheese over the top if desired.