Shrimp Linguine
This simple Shrimp Linguine is smothered in a luscious butter and white wine sauce that will have you savoring every last drop! The best part is it’s ready to serve in under an hour from start to finish!
If you love a saucy pasta dish, you’ve come to the right place! As it simmers, the white wine reduces and mingles with the cream to create a thick, velvety sauce that coats every strand of linguine pasta. It also comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta for an easy assembly just before serving.
The finely chopped green onions mellow into a savory foundation as they sauté, then lend a final pop of fresh color that brightens the entire dish. It’s so good, you’ll want to lick your plate clean!
What is shrimp linguine?
Shrimp linguine is a classic pasta dish that pairs tender shrimp with long, flat linguine noodles. It’s typically defined by its sauce, ranging from a light garlic and oil-based scampi to the rich, creamy version featured in this recipe.
The combination of succulent shrimp, silky pasta, and a flavorful sauce creates a satisfying meal that feels both elegant and comforting. It’s a versatile dish that’s perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions.
Why you’ll love shrimp linguine
- With fresh shrimp in hand, you’re just butter, Parmesan, cream, onion, and white wine away from a restaurant-quality meal. This shrimp linguine recipe calls for simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
- This might just be the easiest dish you’ll ever make, and it’s an impressive one at that. Bonus points for being absolutely delicious!
- And since the alcohol cooks off completely, it’s perfectly kid-friendly. Whether it’s a casual family dinner or an intimate dinner party with friends, this recipe is a win!
Ingredients needed to make shrimp linguine
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter for better control, but you can use salted butter instead, if preferred.
- Shallot and green onions: Sauteed in the melted butter until softened and fragrant, adding an aromatic foundation for the sauce. You’ll need to reserve some of the green onions for later.
- White wine: A dry white wine like chardonnay works best for a dish like shrimp linguine. The alcohol cooks away while the flavor remains!
- Heavy whipping cream: Adds rich creamy thickness for the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: Folded and melted into the heated sauce, thickening the sauce and adding incredible cheesy flavor.
- Nutmeg: Enhances the flavors in the sauce and adds a warm depth and subtle sweetness that perfectly balances the rich cream and cheese.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Just a pinch of salt and pepper to enhance the flavors of the pan sauce.
- Linguine pasta: I used an organic whole wheat linguine made by DeLallo. The pasta is cooked separately until al dente. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water to easily adjust the consistency of the sauce, if needed.
- Large shrimp: Look for shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined to make your prep much easier. Frozen shrimp, defrosted, can also be used.
How do you make shrimp linguine?
Make the pan sauce:
- Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the minced shallot and 3/4 cup of green onions. Cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the wine, increasing the heat to medium-high, and cook down until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the cream, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Continue to cook until the cream is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Cook the pasta:
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions until just tender, about 8 minutes.
- Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta.
Add the shrimp:
- Pepare the shrimp by rinsing first (you may need to keep water running over it if frozen).
- Add the shrimp to the cream sauce, increasing the heat to medium, and cooking the shrimp just until pink, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the frying pan and gently mix together.
- Stir in the reserved pasta water (mixture will be soupy, then thickens as it stands) and toss in the remaining green onions.
- Add more salt and pepper, if you like.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Serving
Serve your shrimp linguine with warm crusty bread to soak up all that mouth-watering sauce so that nothing gets left behind!
For a lighter side dish, enjoy this shrimp linguine alongside Air Fryer Zucchini Parmesan, Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Lemon, or a refreshing Shaved Fennel Asparagus Salad.
A scoop of vanilla ice cream or Strawberry Blueberry Panna Cotta are delicious desserts that mirror the creamy richness of this dish, otherwise consider rounding off the meal with a bright citrus-forward treat, such as Lemon Raspberry Crumb Bars, Lemon Curd Cake, or Key Lime Bundt Cake.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover shrimp linguine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw and reheat on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of cream or water to loosen the sauce. Keep in mind that the pasta will absorb some of the sauce in storage.
- Adjust serving: This recipe is easy for 4, perfect for 2, and great to double for 8! Simply adjust the ingredients as needed.
- Choice of shrimp: I’ve used large shrimp, but you can use a smaller variety and adjust the cooking time as needed. Select shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined for added convenience. You can also pinch the shrimp tails off for an easier dining experience or leave them depending on your preferred style of presentation.
- Test for doneness: You’ll know your shrimp are perfectly cooked when they curl into a loose “C” shape, turn opaque white with slight pink, and feel firm yet springy to the touch. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp as they will become rubbery.
- Cook the pasta separately: Cooking the pasta separately prevents it from becoming gummy and allows you to better control its tender texture while also reserving the starchy water to later adjust the sauce’s consistency.
- Reserve the pasta water: The starchy content of pasta water helps emulsify the sauce, binding it to the pasta for a silky, cohesive coating that plain water or other liquids can’t achieve.
Variations:
- Frozen shrimp: Frozen shrimp is a convenient choice when you can’t source fresh shrimp. Make sure to follow the instructions on the package for defrosting your frozen shrimp, or you could end up with undercooked shrimp.
- Choice of starch: If you don’t want to serve your creamy shrimp with linguine pasta, consider serving it over polenta or risotto as the ultimate comfort food!
- Low-carb shrimp linguine – Use spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles instead of pasta for a low-carb meal.
- Boost of veggies: Give this dish a boost of nutritious vegetables by mixing in peas, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, or sun-dried tomatoes for added color and flavor.
- Alcohol-free sauce: To make the sauce without wine, simply replace it with an equal amount of seafood or chicken stock mixed with a teaspoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar to mimic the wine’s acidity.
- Gluten-free shrimp linguine – Use gluten-free pasta when catering to allergies.
If you love a quick and easy seafood pasta dish like I do, make sure to try my Best Tuna Casserole, Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Shrimp, or Seafood Alfredo. Easy for a family dinner, impressive for guests!
Other comforting pasta dinners you may want to try:
- Ground Chicken Pasta
- Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta
- 4 Ingredient Creamy Pasta Bake
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Stuffed Shells with Ricotta and Meat
- Taco Macaroni and Cheese
Get the Recipe:
Shrimp Linguine
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced to make 1 cup
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 12-14 ounces linguine pasta, I use DeLallo brand
- 2 pounds raw peeled, deveined large shrimp
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add minced shallot and ¾ cup green onions and cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the wine, increasing heat to medium-high, and cook down until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in the cream, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and 1 tsp. each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until cream is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions until just tender, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.
- Pepare the shrimp by rinsing first (you may need to keep water running over it if frozen).
- Add the shrimp to cream sauce, increasing heat to medium, and cooking shrimp just until pink, 4-5 minutes. Add pasta to frying pan and gently mix together. Optional to stir in reserved pasta water (mixture will be soupy, then thicken as it stands) and toss in the rest of the green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper!
- Serve right away!
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Store leftover shrimp linguine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw and reheat on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of cream or water to loosen the sauce. Keep in mind that the pasta will absorb some of the sauce in storage.
- Adjust serving: This recipe is easy for 4, perfect for 2, and great to double for 8! Simply adjust the ingredients as needed.
- Choice of shrimp: I’ve used large shrimp, but you can use a smaller variety and adjust the cooking time as needed. Select shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined for added convenience. You can also pinch the shrimp tails off for an easier dining experience or leave them depending on your preferred style of presentation.
- Test for doneness: You’ll know your shrimp are perfectly cooked when they curl into a loose “C” shape, turn opaque white with slight pink, and feel firm yet springy to the touch. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp as they will become rubbery.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Looks delicious. Yes the personalities make a difference on how and how many and how often we entertain. That’s an interesting conversation lead for my next dinner party. Luscious main dish by the way. I had to pin it.
We have 4 kids, and our friends all have 2-4 kids, too. So inviting one family over can be quite a crowd. One other couple (and all who come with them) is good for us when we want to be intimate and personal. Three or four families is fun for something more casual (though less personal). I tend to think of it as we host the adults, our kids host the kids. Space and group dynamics dictate whether we eat together or separate from the kids. Someday I hope for a table that seats 12, and a dinner party of adults to fill it!
This looks delicious! Since we have an older home and it is tiny, 4-6 is about our limit for being able to all sit at the same table. But I have had family over and as many as 12. In that case, I put up a card table in the sun room and t.v. trays in the living room; still fun but harder for everyone to be able to talk with one another.
I LOVE DeLallo Linguine! And with shrimp, wine and green onions? This is the perfect meal that feels SO fancy but is really quite simple. Delicious as always. Pinned!
What kind of “dry white wine” did you use?
Paula, I actually used a Chardonnay and it was wonderful (that’s what I had on hand). :)
I think it just depends, but I think I ultimately enjoy a smaller group for the most part, maybe 2-4 guests, but have entertained more and it was great too. I just find with our home smaller numbers work best
This looks delicious. It’s hard to find “light” pasta dishes, but I think this hits the mark, and it looks easy – can’t beat that!
I think six is the perfect amount when we’re hosting a gathering. My husband and I are a bit more on the introvert side, so sometimes it can be hard with just 4 to keep the conversation going. Although we don’t host very often; I should work on that!