Shrimp and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
Creamy parmesan sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and perfectly cooked shrimp make this dish totally restaurant quality!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves about 6 1x
Ingredients
Pasta-
½ pound dried pasta (about 3 cups)
Shrimp-
2 tablespoons olive oil *see note
½ to 1-pound un-cooked shrimp, without shells and deveined *see note
¼ teaspoon salt
Sauce-
4 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into quarters
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup cream
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon dried basil (or ¼ cup chopped fresh basil)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
About 3 tablespoons reserved pasta water, if needed (reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining noodles)
Instructions
Pasta-
Cook pasta and reserve ½ cup of water to use in sauce.
Shrimp-
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil (use oil from sun-dried tomatoes if using sundried tomatoes in oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp (if using a pound of shrimp cook half at a time so they cook evenly) and cook the first side for about 1 minute till pink. Flip over, lightly salt and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute longer till cooked through. Try not to over-cook the shrimp or they will be tough and rubbery. Remove the shrimp to a plate, keeping as much oil as you can in the skillet.
Sauce-
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to the skillet over medium heat and sauté for about 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Pour the cream, milk, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt to the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer and add the parmesan cheese. Continue cooking over low heat till the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Add the cooked and drained pasta and shrimp to the sauce and stir till combined. If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time till you get your desired consistency. Let the pasta and sauce simmer a minute or 2 and then serve.
Notes
If using sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, use the olive oil from the jar for an added boost of flavor!
Because we are a small family of 4 and 2 of us are toddlers, I typically only use ½ pound shrimp because shrimp don’t re-heat well in a microwave. We eat the leftovers without shrimp. If you’re feeding 5 adults and won’t likely have leftovers, I’d recommend using a pound of shrimp. You can also use pre-cooked shrimp if you’d rather. Add the cooked and thawed shrimp in after the cheese is melted in your sauce.
The sauce will get even thicker as it cools. Feel free to add a bit more reserved pasta water if needed.